Endangering Forever
by Artisan of the Written Word
Summary: Third installation of the How to Fly series. Tai and Sora have come across something that becomes an issue in most relationships. Will Tai make a mistake that can't be forgiven? Angsty Taiora. Other couplings involved. Please R and R.
1. Endangering Forever Part 1

**ENDANGERING FOREVER PART 1**

**(HOW TO FLY PART EIGHT)**

******A/N: Here I am, gang!! What's this?! She's learned to use HTML!? Dear God! What's the world coming to? Today Digimon, tomorrow the world! MUHAHAHAHAHA! *Ahem* Excuse me for that little outburst, but I *am* rather proud of my self. I think this is the last in the How to Fly series-then again, maybe not. It's a fitting ending, I think. Oh well, this is strictly Taiora with some mentionings of Takari. All of the old digidestined will be in this one, and maybe the new ones; I dunno. It just depends. This starts out before Christmas. Oh, and there are a lot of sexual references (thus the rating) so don't flame me. It's an adult situation, okay? Don't get on to me for telling about real life!!!! ******

**Dedication: Well, duh, to Logan. (You people may be wondering why I keep mentioning him.... He's only *THE* coolest person on the planet :)**

**Disclaimer: I'm just going to do one last disclaimer for the rest of the series. Hmm, I don't own digimon.... "Bent" by Matchbox Twenty (are you beginning to tell that I love that song? I've already used it before).... Or the excerpt of "Comedown" by Bush.... Or anything like that. I only own my words, which aren't worth very much. **

**Warnings: Taiora, Takari, sexual references galore, angst.... (mostly the usual)**

**Enough of my talking. Let's get this show on the road!!!! Oh, and by the way, PLEASE REVIEW!!!! I was kind of disappointed about how many "Blind Love" got, but I guess I was asking too much of people to go back and read How to Fly 1-4, too. (Which, by the way, you kind of need to do for this one. It takes place right after "Blind Love" which took place right after "How to Fly Parts 1-4".) Okay, NOW you can read.**

**ENDANGERING FOREVER**

**A CONTINUATION OF HOW TO FLY PARTS 1-4 AND BLIND LOVE PARTS 1-3**

**BY ARTISAN OF THE WRITTEN WORD a.k.a. THE WRITER**

"Stop it, Tai!" Sora exclaimed playfully. It was Christmas time, and at least five inches of snow covered the ground everywhere. They had just gotten out for Christmas break. Tai and Sora had decided to walk through the park as a celebratory break that they both needed, but it had ended up in a deadly snowball fight. Sora was desperately trying to get away from Tai, who had a snowball in hand with a mischievous grin on his face.

"I'm coming for ya!" he exclaimed after her. She suddenly stopped and began to gather snow. Tai smirked. She was making it ___too_ easy. He hurled the snowball he had in hand at her, hitting her right on top of the head. 

"Hey!!! Play fair, Kamiya!" she yelled at him. Tai tried his best to look innocent.

"I didn't do nothin'," he said unconvincingly. Sora packed the snow in to a sphere shape and quickly tried to get a good shot at Tai.

"Hey, look! Your sister is making out with T.K.!" She said, pointing to an empty spot behind Tai. He whirled around looking for T.K., who was instantly listed as a potential murder victim in Tai's mind.

"All right, Kari. How many times do I have to tell you - HEY! They aren't here! What are you trying to-" he turned back to Sora only to be met with a snowball to the face. Sora giggled hysterically. "Why, you little!" Tai lunged for Sora, who was only a few feet from him. Sora made a weak attempt to get away, but her giggles had made her short of breath, making it hard for her to get away from Tai's quick movements. He tackled her to the ground. Sora rolled him over onto his back, but he made a quick move, and he ended up on top of her. He pinned her arms to the ground and laughed triumphantly. "I've got you now, kid! I'd like to see you get out of ___this_ predicament!" Sora looked at Tai directly in the eyes and smiled knowingly.

"Oh, I know ___exactly_ how to get out of it," she whispered seductively. Tai mocked a heart attack and fell beside her.

"You know, coming on to people like that is why they have heart attacks," he said, clutching his chest as if his heart had stopped. Sora laughed wildly.

"Well, I think ___I'm_ the only person that has that kind of effect... Don't you agree?" she asked. Tai looked at her and smiled.

"Well, you're the only one who has that effect on me, and you know it," he said bitterly. Sora laughed.

"Don't act like it's a bad thing! I mean, you have the same effect on me," she said thoughtfully, the smile disappearing. Tai turned over onto his stomach and looked at Sora quizzically.

"I do?" Sora nodded furiously.

"You always have," she said. Tai smiled and leaned in closer to Sora.

"Same here," he whispered. Sora smiled.

"I love you, Tai," she said suddenly. Tai felt warmth flow through him, as if he had suddenly been placed in front of a fire. He blushed a deep crimson. 

"I love you, too, Sora," he said quietly, grinning widely.

"I think we need to head on home, Tai. I still need to go Christmas shopping. I only have four days left," she said, quickly trying to get up. Tai grinned mischievously and flipped onto his back, putting his hands behind his head.

"Why leave so soon? I thought we were having fun!" he said cheerfully. Sora looked down at him and smiled wryly. 

"We still are, goof ball. I didn't say I was ___leaving_ you. We just need to start back on our way home, that's all," she explained, brushing the snow off of her jacket and blue jeans. Tai's grin widened suddenly as he pulled Sora's legs out from under her, causing her to land in his lap. "Why'd you go and do that for?" she asked, trying to scold him, but couldn't help but smile. Tai touched his nose with hers.

"You were going to leave me," he said, his face turning into one of a sad child. He bowed his head as if in shame. Sora's smile lessened. Is that what he really thought? If it wasn't, he was surely doing a good job acting like it. She put a finger under his chin and raised his head to meet her gaze.

"Tai, I'll never, ___ever_ leave you," she whispered. Tai smiled and kissed her suddenly. He broke away, but was surprised when Sora hungrily met his lips again. Both of the love-crazy teenagers' heads swam. Sora had been kissing him more passionately lately. This time, her hungry kiss had left him dizzy. Sora let him go, her own head swirling a bit. Tai put a hand on his forehead and sighed.

"Man, you've got to warn me when you do that. Every time you do, I end up seeing the world spinning," he said worriedly. Sora laughed.

"I take it that you liked it," she said, her smile growing wider. Tai looked at her and grinned.

"Of course, Sora," he said, knowing that he would not be able to put into words how she made him feel. Sora bowed her head. "I wonder what our wedding night will be like," he said suddenly. Sora raised up her head sharply, her eyes wide with surprise.

"I figured it would be incredible," she said thoughtfully, mentally shocked that Tai didn't say he thought it would be that way, too. Tai tilted his head slightly and looked at her sideways.

"You've been thinking about it?" he asked, surprised that such a sweet girl like Sora had such impure thoughts. She bowed her head again.

"Yes, I have. I've been thinking about it a lot," she said softly. Tai saw her face turn a dark crimson.

"Why, Sora? Why think about it?" he asked, honestly curious to why she seemed so worried.

"It's not that I'm worried that it won't be incredible because I know it will be, it's just I'm... I'm..." She couldn't seem to finish. Tai watched as her face darkened to a deeper crimson. He put his hand under her chin and forced her to meet his gaze. 

"You're what?" He asked, trying to encourage her to tell him. They had been working on that aspect of their relationship. They had both expressed that there needed to be trust before anything else, so he and Sora had been telling each other their secrets whenever they remembered one. They hadn't decided to tell the other digidestined about their getting married yet, but they had decided to wait until Christmas Day. It seemed like the perfect time to announce such a happy thing. Sora's relationship with her mother had improved greatly, so the two teenagers felt that the announcement should go over well. Tai's parents had actually been suspecting something, but their naive minds still hadn't noticed the obvious relationship between the two. They thought that the two teenagers were still best friends, but strangely knew that T.K. and Kari were a lot more. Sora's mother was not so naive however.

"I'm, oh, never mind," she whispered, losing herself in Tai's gaze. His soft chocolate brown eyes became piercing.

"Tell me, Sora. You know we've talked about trusting each other," he commanded softly. Sora struggled against his grip on her chin and bowed her head again.

"I know. I'm just... I keep wondering if we.... if we should wait... until our wedding night," she said finally, making herself make eye contact with Tai, her voice gradually losing its volume because of her embarrassment. Tai's gaze softened as his jaw dropped.

"Wh-___what_?" he stammered, but Sora just looked at him knowingly. She knew he had heard her correctly, and she wasn't going to embarrass herself again by repeating it. Sora's heart dropped slightly. She knew he would take it this way. Taichi Kamiya may have loved her, but not enough to do something so rash with her. She got up and dusted the snow off the seat of her pants and began to walk home. The only sound to her ears was the crunching of snow under her feet. 

"___That_ was a total waste of breath," she whispered to herself. 

"If you want me, Sora, I will." Sora froze. Did Tai just say what she thought he had? If she ___wanted_ him? If there was anybody she wanted more, his name was Taichi Kamiya. She turned around to look at him. She was now about ten feet away from him. He was on his feet and gazing at her with kind, caring, understanding, and loving eyes. He smiled, his expression soft. "If you want me," he whispered. Sora walked back to him, her eyes never switching from his. 

"I want you," she whispered. His smile disappeared. 

"Then I'm yours," he whispered back. Sora had wanted to hear that so much. She rested her head against his chest. Tai looked straight ahead and left his hands at his sides. He trembled slightly as she kissed his muscular chest, one of the few weak places on Tai's body. Sora looked up into his eyes and saw that he was refraining from doing something.

"Tai, I'm yours, too. Don't be afraid of me," she whispered. Tai looked down at her and smiled.

"I'm not afraid with you by my side," he said, trying to show his bravery. "Let's get you home, okay kid?" Sora nodded with a smile on her face. They walked the rest of the way to Sora's house hand in hand, thinking about what was just said. Not another word was said about it until the next night.

*********************************************************************************************

Tai looked at his calendar to see how much time he had to do his Christmas shopping. It was the 22nd of December, three days from the big day. He sighed. He really didn't know what to get for Sora or Kari. They were the two most important people in his life, but he didn't have a clue what to get for them. He walked into the kitchen in deep thought. He looked up and saw Kari reading a book. He looked at her curiously.

"Why are you doing that in here?" he asked. Kari looked up at her brother and shrugged.

"Just because I wanted to, I guess," she answered. Tai accepted this and made his way to the refrigerator to search for some food. "Um, Tai?" Tai brought his head out of the refrigerator and looked at his sister.

"Yeah?" Kari cleared her throat and looked at her brother. He blushed suddenly, not knowing why.

"What are you getting Sora for Christmas?" she asked. Tai shrugged helplessly.

"I have absolutely ___no_ idea," he said sullenly. "What are you getting for T.K.?" Kari bowed her head sheepishly.

"I'm not sure I should tell you," she whispered. Tai tilted his head and looked at her quizzically.

"Why not? You're like a best friend to me. I would tell you what I was getting for Sora and you know it," he coaxed. Kari made herself look Tai in the eye. 

"Do you really want to know?" Tai nodded anxiously, taking a bite of something unidentifiable he had gotten from the fridge.

"Of course." Kari sighed deeply.

"Well, I was kind of thinking of... not really getting him something but... giving him something," she said, her voice faltering as her eyes fell to the floor. Tai almost choked when he realized what she meant.

"___WHAT_?" he almost screamed. Kari began to blush furiously.

"I knew I shouldn't have told you," she whispered angrily. Tai made himself calm down.

"Kari, you're thirteen years old, not thirty," he said softly. She glared at him, the heat radiating from her eyes.

"Well, you're seventeen, not twenty seven," she shot back. Tai seemed taken back.

"What do you mean by that?" Kari snorted laughter.

"What do you think I mean? You and Sora are so obvious," she chided. Tai surprised Kari by laughing softly.

"We haven't done anything like that. In fact, we haven't done anything besides kiss," he said proudly, but suddenly felt something like apprehension in his stomach. He was right; all they had done was kiss. Tai realized that this was a bigger step than he had realized. The apprehension turned to sudden sickness.

Kari looked at Tai in disbelief. 

"You're kidding!" she exclaimed. Tai shook his head, but not as proudly this time. The more he thought about taking the next step with Sora, the more it seemed like a bad idea.

"No, I'm not. You and T.K. need to learn to take things at a slow pace. When it's the right time, you'll know. Don't force yourself," he advised, but was amazed at how much his own advice could apply to his own situation. Kari sighed.

"Maybe I'll just get him a card," she said, her shoulders dropping in defeat. Tai laughed.

"Well, I wouldn't take it ___that_ slow," he joked. Kari laughed with him, but their laughter was cut short by the sound of the phone ringing. Tai felt his heart dropped. He had a feeling it was Sora. Kari reached for the phone.

"Hello? Hey, Sora!" Tai felt his heart race a couple of beats. "Yeah, he's here. Here, Tai," she said, stretching her arm out to Tai. He looked at it fearfully. Kari knit her brow. "Take it, Tai," she encouraged. He slowly stretched out his arm and took the device from Kari's small hands. 

"He-hello? Sora?" he said, almost choking on his words. Sora sensed something was wrong right away.

"Hey, Tai. Are you okay?" Tai wanted to say '___No, I'm not, Sora. I think this is a bad idea,_' but knew how much that would break her heart.

"Just fine. It's great to hear your voice today," he said softly. Sora giggled childishly.

"Well, hearing yours just put sunshine in my cloudy skies. Very clichéééé, I know, but it's the truth," she said. Tai couldn't see her, but knew she was smiling. He smiled at the very thought of her being happy. 

"Glad to hear it," he said truthfully. He heard another female voice and Sora giggling. "What's so funny?" Sora snapped to attention.

"Guess who's here, Tai," she said, seemingly trying to tease him.

"Well, I actually have no idea," he said. Sora sighed impatiently.

"Come on, Tai! Just guess," she teased. Tai sighed in defeat.

"Mimi," he said off the top of his head.

"Yep." Tai was a little startled. Mimi? He hadn't heard of her coming to Japan.

"Really? Wow. Is she over at your house?"

"Yeah. You and Kari hurry over. Joe, Matt, Izzy, and T.K. are already here." Tai smiled. It would be nice to see an old friend.

"I'm hurrying. COME ON, KARI! I'll see you in a bit, love," he said. Sora giggled.

"Okay, just hurry!" she urged. They both hung up. Kari looked at him quizzically.

"Where are we going?" she asked out of pure curiosity. Tai smiled.

"We're going to go see Mimi. Come on, kiddo. Everyone's already there!" He said, grabbing Kari by the hand. She grabbed her coat and reluctantly let her brother drag her out the door.

*********************************************************************************************

"MIMI!" Kari cried when she saw her. Mimi looked up to the open door and saw a slim brown haired girl.

"KARI!" She cried out hysterically. The two girls ran to each other and exchanged hugs and a few words. The boys, including Tai, laughed heartily.

"It hasn't been ___that_ long since you saw her, Kari," Tai said playfully. Mimi turned from Kari to Tai with an eyebrow raised.

"Well, it actually ___has_ been a while. Four months to be exact," she said thoughtfully. Tai began to think, but finally agreed with a nod of his head.

"I guess it has been a while. How have you been, girl? It's great to see you," he said with a grin. Mimi laughed.

"Well, everything's been all right with me, I guess. How 'bout you, Tai?" she asked. Tai's grin widened.

"Everything's been great," he said, glancing at Sora. She blushed timidly when everyone turned to look at her. Mimi sighed ecstatically.

"Well, since everyone's here, I want to hear about everything that's happened," she said excitedly. T.K. and Kari shot worried glances at each other. Tai and Sora did, too. If Mimi wanted to know everything, that would mean T.K. and Kari would have to tell about what happened three months ago, and Sora and Tai would have to tell about what happened that night at the hospital. 

"Well, who goes first?" Matt asked. Joe shrugged along with Izzy.

"We haven't got that much to tell," Izzy said sullenly.

"Oh yes, we do," T.K. said solemnly. Everyone turned to look at him. Kari sighed.

"He's right. We do have a lot to tell. Especially us," she whispered. Tai walked over to his sister and wrapped a hand around her shoulders.

"Sora and I do, too. We might be here a while," he said slowly. Joe looked confused. He stroked his blue hair in confusion.

"Excuse me, but have I missed something?" he asked. Sora nodded furiously.

"You've missed more than you'll ever know," she said, glancing at Tai nervously.

"I guess we need to go first," he said as he unwrapped his arm from around Kari's shoulder and took a seat beside Sora. Everyone knew what had happened before Sora woke up, but the gap between that and when Tai jumped off the building was currently a mystery to the others. Tai decided that the whole story needed to be told again. He sighed and began. 

"Well, it started at the soccer field....."

********************************************

"Wow. Sora, why didn't you two tell us about your father's behavior before?" Matt asked. Mimi nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, Sora. Why didn't you?" Sora shrugged helplessly.

"I don't know why. I did tell you about him and my mother, but it was a little harder to tell what he did to me," she said quietly. Tai hugged her tightly, trying to give her strength. 

"We're your best friends, Sora. We'll always be here for you, no matter what," Matt told her. Everyone nodded in agreement. Sora smiled her appreciation. Joe seemed to be thinking. T.K. looked at him worriedly.

"What's wrong?" Joe shook his head.

"Tai, could you show us your wings?" he asked suddenly. There was pure silence from Tai. 

"Do I need to ___prove_ it to you?" he asked finally, his tone was cold. Joe shook his head quickly.

"No, I just wanted to see them for myself, as I am sure the rest of us would too," he replied. Tai sighed deeply. He looked to Sora for her advice. She smiled.

"Go ahead, Tai. We're all friends here. Besides, you shouldn't be ashamed of them. They're beautiful," she coaxed. There was no more hesitation from Tai. He got up from his seat.

"I'm not being vulgar, but I've already gone through two shirts, okay?" he said as he began to pull off his shirt. There was a sharp breath pulled in by Sora as his masculine chest was shone to her. Everyone looked at her.

"Get a grip, girl," Matt teased, but only caused Sora to blush madly. Tai smiled, but began to concentrate more on what he was doing. There was only a nanosecond of hesitation until the wings were shown. They were an easy ten feet across. He folded them close to his body so not to knock something over. Sora studied him, still amazed with the angel that stood before her. There were gasps from everyone except Kari, T.K., and Sora. They just smiled. 

"___Incredible_!" Izzy exclaimed as he got up. He began to reach out to one of Tai's wings but stopped midway. "Can I?" he asked. Tai nodded. Izzy stretched out a hand to the seemingly real depiction of a beautiful land of sun and clouds. He stretched his hand until he thought he could touch it, but was shocked when his hand went all the way through. He jerked his hand back as if he had been burnt. "___Incredible_!" he exclaimed again. Matt just stared with his jaw wide open. Mimi had a dreamy look on her face. T.K. and Kari were smiling. Unconsciously, they grabbed for each others' hand and held on tightly. Joe stood up and looked at Tai as if he was an experiment.

"Why did his hand go all the way through, Tai?" he asked. Tai looked at Sora for help. She stood up and looked at all of her friends.

"It's a world we created together... with the love in our hearts," she said quietly. Mimi let out a dreamy sigh. T.K. and Kari looked at each other. 

"I think it's our turn," she whispered. T.K. nodded.

"I believe you're right. Tai?" he said, looking at Tai. The seventeen year old instantly understood and quickly retracted his wings with no effort at all. Everyone sat down, some still shocked at Tai's transformation.

"What happened with you two, T.K.?" Matt asked innocently. Kari sighed deeply, taking the initiative to tell their story. '___It's more like T.K.'s story, not mine_,' she thought to herself, but quickly pushed the thought away.

"Well, one day we were walking home from school...."

********************************************

"Maybe I need to move back to Odaiba if I'm going to miss this kind of stuff," Mimi said thoughtfully after T.K. finished his and Kari's story.

"Man, T.K. You must really love her," Matt said suddenly. T.K. looked at him with a smile.

"I always will," he said quietly. Kari heard him and smiled herself, grateful to have such a great guy. Sora looked at the time and gasped.

"It's already 7:00! Wow! I think everybody needs to start going home, or I know some parents that will be mad," she said, glancing at Izzy. He smiled nervously.

"Hey, what can I say? Sometimes it's nice to have parents like that," he said sullenly. Tai smirked.

"Yeah, but sometimes it's a pain in the butt." Everyone laughed at his remark. There were words exchanged among all of them. Sora interrupted them by clearing her throat. For some reason, Tai thought that she was going to tell them about their plans and gulped audibly.

"I was wondering if everybody could meet at the park on Christmas Day about 2:00 o'clock or so." Everyone looked at each other and nodded.

"I don't know if I'll still be here by then, but I'll try my best," Mimi said. Sora grinned.

"So, it's a done deal?" She was answered by nods around the room. "Great!" she said ecstatically. Tai smiled at her. He knew what she was so ecstatic about. That was the day they were going to announce their engagement. She smiled back at him knowingly. All the other kids were a little bit confused by the two lovebirds strange behavior, but dismissed as some kind of love-induced disease.

"Well, I had better get going," Matt said. He leaned forward to Sora and kissed her on the cheek. "Congratulations, Sora. He's a good man to marry," he whispered. Sora seemed shocked. How did he know? Matt smiled as if reading her mind. "I could just tell. Don't worry. I won't tell anybody." Sora accepted his reassurance and hugged him.

"Thanks, Matt," she whispered. He smiled at her again and headed for the door.

"To think, the tomboy of the group is the one that's in love. Who would have thought?" He said loudly, trying to make sure everyone heard him. Sora smiled, but was startled when a hand was laid on her shoulder. It was Tai.

"What was that about?" he asked. Sora turned to him.

"He knows," she whispered. Tai's heart sank. He knew? How could he? They hadn't told anybody about Sora's idea yet. How could he know? Sora saw the doubt on Tai's face. She blushed when she realized what he was thinking. "He knows about the wedding, Tai," she reassured softly so only he could hear. Tai breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone else looked at the two teenagers doubtfully.

"Well, I don't know what that was about, but something tells me I may not want to know," Joe said, his pessimism shining through. He leaned forward and hugged Sora tightly. "I guess I'll see you guys Christmas Day, maybe a little before. Who knows?" he said after he released her. "Bye, guys!" He waved and headed out the door. Soon, T.K., Kari, Izzy, and Mimi left, who was staying at a nearby hotel. 

Tai and Sora were alone.

"Well, I'll miss you, but I've got to get home," he said softly. He kissed her passionately on the lips and headed for the door. 

"Christmas Eve, Tai." He whirled around to meet Sora's eyes.

"What about it?" She began to blush and he immediately knew exactly what she was talking about. "Oh, you mean... us... Christmas Eve," he whispered, as if it was a revelation. She nodded. Tai felt like screaming. That was so soon!!! He felt like panicking, but he kept a grateful face for Sora. He couldn't bare to break her heart.

"My mom told me that she was going to keep the shop open late because of special requests. I thought that... it would be the perfect... opportunity..." Tai smiled his best. 

"If you want me," he whispered. Sora smiled.

"Of course I do, but only if you want me," she said, taking a step closer to him. He stepped closer to her, but they were still at least six feet apart.

"I tremble for you in the night, waiting for your touch, waiting for something more. Though I am truly happy just being in your presence, I will reach new levels of jubilation when we are... one," he said softly, his words flowing from the bottom of his heart, but he was not sure if he was ready for what he just said. Sora's smile disappeared.

"So do I, Tai. So do I," she whispered. Tai smiled, put a hand over his heart, and walked out the door. Sora stared at the spot that he had been in and smiled nervously. She was having second thoughts, also.

For the next two days, all Tai or Sora could think about was the other.

*************************************************************************************************************** 

"Hey, Sora!" Tai shouted into the phone. Sora cringed at his volume, but quickly regained her composure. Though he didn't have a gift for telecommunication, she was always glad to hear his voice.

"Hey, Tai! I'm so glad to hear from you! I planned on coming over earlier, but my mom wanted me to run the flower shop for a while. Oh, and I've got great news!" Tai wondered when she was going to stop talking long enough for him to get a word in, but he was happy just listening to her.

"What?"

"The tennis coach called me and told me that he would like me to play tennis again!! Isn't that ___great_?" she exclaimed. Tai smiled. That was one of the things she had been down about. All the people had teased her and Tai about the "incident" four months ago, so Sora had regretfully quit the tennis team. Tai had stuck to soccer. Now he had a chance at a scholarship, and if Sora kept going like she was, she would, too. 

"Yeah, that's terrific, Sora!" he said, honestly happy for her, but his tone quickly changed. "Um, about tonight..." He could almost hear Sora gasp.

"Yes...." He bet that she thought he was going to cancel. He would never want to break her heart like that.

"Would you like to... go on a date to make it official? You know, not so spur of the moment?" he asked hopefully. There was a sound like relieved sighing on the other end of the phone.

"Of course, Tai. I would love to. What time?"

"Oh, sevenish?"

"That would be just perfect. I'll see you then, Tai," she said calmly, but the feelings inside of her were more than enough to drive her crazy. Apprehension, happiness, and fear were just a few feelings pulsating through her body.

"Great... Oh, and Sora?" There was a pause.

"Yes?"

"I wuv you," he whispered like he was a little kid, like it was their secret. Sora giggled, but quickly turned sober.

"I love you, too," she whispered back. Tai hung up the phone and sighed shakily. That was the last time he talked to her before he arrived at her front door.

*********************************************************************************************

Tai had taken her to a remotely nice restaurant. To him, things were going by too quickly. They were now walking back to Sora's house. Tai figured it was about a quarter after eight. He thought of how long a night it would be, but then thought of how wonderful it would be, too. But that's not how Tai really thought of the night. 

Tai was having internal conflicts. First of all, he wasn't sure if he was mature enough. That was strange for most guys, but he wanted it to be good for Sora. She was the one person that he would do anything for, but he didn't want to disappoint her when he did it.

Second, he was having major religious conflicts. If he went through with this, he would be committing one of the worst sins. Well, ___all_ sins were tied for worst religiously, but in Tai's mind, premarital sex was up there with murder. Very un-guy like, but that was just the way he was.

Third, what if there was a pregnancy? He would take care of Sora, no doubt in his mind, but his family would surely disown him, along with Sora's mother. Then they would surely be alone in an unforgiving world- something he wasn't sure Sora could deal with after all she'd been through.

Sora was having a hard time, too. Religiously, she was having the same conflict as Tai. The pregnancy thing didn't have as strong a voice in her mind, but the maturity thing was getting to her, too. What if they should wait? When she had been on the tennis team before, she had heard horror stories from her friends about how the guy turned around and broke their hearts after they had gone all the way. Surely Tai wouldn't do that to her, but it could hurt their relationship, something Sora would do anything not to do.

Snow was beginning to fall onto Sora and Tai, who were both in deep thought. What if it didn't turn out right? What if it ended after this? What if? What if? What if? There were so many possibilities it wasn't even funny. Tai shook the thoughts away, determined to make Sora happy. 

"Hey, Sora. You awake?" he asked, squeezing her hand tightly. Sora snapped out of her thought in a flash. She saw the concerned thought on Tai's face and smiled.

"I'm awake. Man, it's getting cold out here," she said, gazing at the snowflakes floating in the air. One landed on her nose. She went cross-eyed watching it. Tai laughed.

"Here," he said, and suddenly bent over and kissed the snowflake away. He smiled at her and they went back to walking. Tai felt his heart get heavy when he saw Sora's apartment door.

"Let me get the key," Sora said as she began to dig through her pockets. She brought out a brass key and stuck it in the lock. It opened easily with a twist of her hand. She and Tai both stepped inside the dark apartment, being greeted only by a startling contrast in temperature from the outside. Sora flipped on the light and sighed heavily. "Calm down, Sora. It's just Tai," she told herself silently. Tai took off his jacket and shoved his hands in his pockets. He smiled weakly at Sora. She smiled back, but suddenly a light bulb went off inside her head. "I almost forgot, Tai. Wait a sec," she said as she ran toward her room. Tai watched her, wondering what she was up to. She came back without her jacket and something in bright Christmas paper. Tai smiled. 

"For me?" he asked. He was glad he had gone to pick her up a present earlier that day. Sora nodded anxiously and handed it to Tai. He looked from it to her ecstatic expression. 

"Well, don't just stand there. Open it!" She said excitedly. Tai sighed in defeat.

"Okay. Here goes nothing," he said as he began to tear into the package. He was met by a silver oblong box. He glanced at Sora's smiling face and smiled to himself. He opened the box and gasped. "Man, Sora... Geez..." Sora looked at him questioningly.

"You don't like it?" She asked, her expression dropping a bit. Tai shook his head furiously. 

"Man, I.. I ___love_ it!!! This is the coolest! Thanks, sweetheart! Man, now I know why I love you!" He exclaimed. Sora's expression immediately lightened at his calling her sweetheart. She smiled brightly. She had given him a Timex pocket watch, one that he had been wanting, not to mention needing. All the times he had been late to meet her amplified the fact. He ran his finger along the back and felt lettering. He flipped it over and began to read the inscription. It read:

_To Tai with all my love _

_on our first Christmas together_

_I'll never leave you_

_and I'll always love you_

_Tai and Sora forever_

It was crammed together to fit, but he could still make it out. 

"Do you like it?" she asked, not believing Tai the first time. He nodded again, but wondered when she had time to go get something like this done, or where she got enough money to get it. It cost at least $300 because it looked like it had silver casing. As if reading his mind, Sora giggled. "Well, I didn't really have to work at the flower shop today. Let's just leave it at that." Tai struggled to look at her and say thank you, but it was such a great gift. From the one person that loved him more than anything in the world. It was a gift from the heart. "Tai? Are you okay? You're crying," Sora said worriedly. Tai looked up at her and realized that he had been crying.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Come here," he said. Sora stepped forward and was caught off guard by Tai's quick embrace and a passionate kiss on the lips. "I love you, Sora." She smiled at the warmth in his voice.

"I love you, too, Tai," she whispered back. Tai smiled and closed his eyes. He wanted to be with her forever. He opened his eyes quickly when he realized that he had almost forgotten his gift for her.

"Here, kiddo. I wasn't going to let you get away without a gift from me," he joked. She broke the embrace and looked at him solemnly.

"You didn't have to get me anything, Tai. You've saved my life more than once before. That's ___more_ than enough," she said softly. Tai shook his head.

"You know I wouldn't be able to live with myself. Please, take it," he said as he brought out a small box. Sora took in a sharp breath. "Go ahead, Sora. Take it," he whispered, stretching his arm out to her. She took the box from his hand and looked at him. He nodded for her to go on, and she opened it. She immediately gasped.

"Oh, Tai.... It's so...so... ___beautiful_!! Thank you!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!" she exclaimed ecstatically. He smiled. It was an engagement ring. More importantly, a ___diamond_ engagement ring.

"And I thought you would like it... Next time, I'll get you a card," he said sarcastically, but couldn't help but grin. Sora jumped up and down.

"So I guess this makes it official, huh?" she said suddenly after she calmed down, her eyes still glued to the ring. Tai nodded, but then seemed thoughtful.

"I think it was always official, Sora, it just took us a while to realize it," he said softly. Sora looked at him and nodded. Her eyes fell back to the ring. "Well, come on. Let's see if it fits, girl," he urged. Sora never missed a beat. She had it on her finger in no time. Perfect fit.

"Thank you, Tai. I love you so much," she whispered as she pulled him close to her. He sighed heavily.

"So do I, Sora," he whispered back. Sora pulled away from him and looked at the clock. Tai remembered with frightening clarity what all was supposed to happen that evening and gulped audibly. "How much time do we-"

"She's going to close shop at midnight, Tai. It's only 8-"

"Hold up. Let me look at my new pocket watch that I've wanted since I was ten," he said as he whipped the watch out from its box and cupped it in his hand, the chain dangling below it. Sora felt happy that he liked his gift so much. "It's only 8:30, to be exact." She smiled and nodded slowly.

"That gives us plenty of time," she said softly. Tai's cheerful expression became downcast. Sora didn't catch his sober expression however, because her eyes had dropped to the floor almost immediately. She took a step forward and took Tai's hand. "Let's go, Tai," she whispered. Tai's expression was indifferent, but he followed her reluctantly.

******************************************

She took him to her bedroom. He gazed at the rather tomboyish appearance of the room. He had been here before, but not with such impure notions. The curtains that covered the window that Sora had climbed out of so many times to meet him were a navy blue that matched her bed sheets perfectly. There was a picture of him and Sora at soccer camp a long time ago. Man, he missed how things had been back then. They weren't so complex. Then, he and Sora were happy together as best friends who denied feelings for each other, and they were both fantastic soccer players. Now, Sora was a tennis player and he was still that fantastic soccer player that everyone cheered for, but now they were dating, soon to be married, and he had mutated to an angel and she could glow. Everything was complex. So, ___so_ complex.

She was sitting beside him on her bed, her hands placed between her knees in a nervous fashion. He looked at her and took in a shaky breath. He made a desperate attempt to smile that lopsided grin of his at her that she had always loved, but the mood seemed to be so serious that not even it worked. The silence that echoed through the house was very disturbing. Tai looked at Sora and gathered his breath to speak.

"Can I put on some music?" he asked. Sora jumped at the chance to break the silence.

"___Yes_, of course! You know where my cds are," she said a little bit too anxiously. He got up and walked over to her dresser, where she kept her small collection of cds. When he was flipping through the pages of cds, one of the ones that stood out was the Matchbox Twenty cd he had given her after she had been in the hospital, just like he had promised. He smiled. She had come so far since then. He couldn't let her down now, could he? For all he knew, this may have been a desperate attempt on her part to see if he really loved her. No, he couldn't let her down now. She needed him, but just the same, he needed her. Badly. 

He kept flipping through the pages until he came upon a Bush cd. He didn't ever remember seeing that one in her collection before, but he knew it well. He and Matt had listened to it hundreds of times because Matt wanted to copy their styles. It may not have been beneficial to Tai then, but it came in handy now. He put it in the cd player, turned it to the track number, and pressed play. There was a low bass sound and drum beats. It wasn't a very romantic song, but the chorus was he felt described the way he felt with her. Sora smiled weakly. She knew this song by heart- it was what she felt like when she was with Tai. Tai turned around and looked at her. He walked over to the light switch and flipped it off, leaving them in almost complete darkness. The moon reflected on the snow, making the room have partial lighting, so they could still see each other in pale blue light. He smiled and sat beside her. 

"What do we do now?" Tai asked. Sora shrugged weakly.

"I really don't know, Tai. I really don't know," she said softly. Tai dragged in a shaky breath.

"I don't either," he whispered. He was on the verge of tears. He was scared now. Very scared. Sora sighed.

"Since it was my idea, I guess it's my move, huh?" Tai just gulped. She sighed again, more heavily this time, and pulled her shirt off. Tai just stared. His breathing was becoming labored. His mind was screaming at him. '___You can still stop this, Tai! You need to wait! You're not ready!_', but Tai figured that Sora's love for him was on the line, so the cries from his mind went unheeded. He watched her chest rise slowly and go down shakily. This was hard for her, too, he realized. Sora leaned forward and kissed Tai on the lips lightly, almost not touching him at all, but he met her halfway and made it a passionate kiss. He put his hand behind her head and pressed her lips harder against his. Just then, the chorus from the music kicked in.

_I don't want to come back down from this cloud_

_Taken me all this time to find out what I need_

_I don't want to come back down from this cloud_

_It's taken me all this, all this time_

Tai broke the kiss long enough to pull off his shirt. Sora felt hesitant. Is this what she really wanted? She would soon find out. 

He rejoined the kiss. Sora laid down on the bed and pulled him down on top of her. Tai took in a sharp breath. He had to stop this, but how could he without breaking Sora's heart? 

Sora let him reach around her and let his hands fumble around with the clasp on her bra-- obviously a task he wasn't used to doing. When he was done, he gently took the feminine restraint away and gasped. She was so... ___so_... Beautiful.... so ___perfect_. He couldn't take his eyes off her beautiful body.

"You can touch me, Tai. Don't be afraid of me," she urged softly. Tai looked at her face and then looked back down at her body. He put a shaky hand on her chest, but then took it away. He suddenly pressed his bare chest against hers, making her gasp. It was a feeling that she had longed for so long, but did she want to go any farther? Did he want to go any farther? Tai was breathing shakily. He swallowed, but it didn't help any. Sora was breathing shakily, too. Her heartbeat had gone from erratic to a drum roll in two seconds. He looked her in the eye and saw complete trust in her eyes. Such ___innocence_. He found himself lost in her gaze.

Trust.

Love.

Innocence. He couldn't take that away from her. She was giving him the ultimate gift, but he couldn't take it. He knew that Sora probably saw something different in his eyes. In fact, she did.

Self-doubt.

Fear.

Love, combined with trust.

Innocence. Yes, Sora could see all of that in his eyes. He was scared. He was afraid. One thing she wasn't sure of was if he was afraid of her, or if he was afraid of what was happening.

Suddenly, Sora felt something drop onto her chest. She let her gaze take in more than Tai's eyes and took in his face. She gasped.

He was crying.

"Tai? What's wrong?" she whispered. Tai couldn't stand it anymore.

"I ___can't_, Sora! I ___can't_!" he cried hysterically. Sora became alarmed when she felt his body begin to shake violently against her own. "I can't!" Sora sat up and embraced him. 

"It's okay, Tai. Shhh. It'll be okay," she whispered. She put Tai's head against her shoulder and hugged him tightly. He turned over in her lap and laid his cheek against her shoulder, his tears falling against her bare skin like raindrops.

"I-I-I'm so-sorry, Sora! I'm ___so_ sorry!" he stammered, his tears becoming more hysterical. The very idea of Tai being upset like this was enough to make Sora cry, but it actually happening almost made her more hysterical than he was, but she had to stay strong. Nevertheless, the tears began to pour down her cheeks into his brown hair.

"Shhh, Tai. It'll be okay," she whispered again. His shaking died down a bit, but she could still feel his tears pour down his face.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, gradually calming down. Sora began to rock back and forth.

"It's okay, Tai. I almost felt the same way. It's just not the right time, that's all. We should have waited," she whispered into his hair. Tai felt an overwhelming sense of relief, but he was still upset with himself.

"I let you down, Sora," he whispered, the tears gradually coming to a halt. Sora shook her head, the tears still coming from her eyes. She had done this to him. She had caused him to be the wreck he was. It was her fault, not his. He had tried to please her, but it was just too much. '___It's all my fault_,' she thought over and over.

"No, Tai, you could never let me down," she whispered. Tai smiled.

"I love you, Sora. I know you probably don't think so right now, but I do," he said softly. Sora turned his head to meet her eyes.

"I love you, too, Tai. I'm the one that did this to you. Don't blame yourself," she replied. He shook his head, sitting up straight in her bed.

"We're both guilty ___and_ innocent. How about that?" he asked. Sora smiled.

"Whatever," she said. He smiled back at her and walked over to the cd player, cutting it off. Sora suddenly remembered her bare chest and pulled on what she thought was her discarded shirt quickly. Tai turned around and laughed. Sora glared.

"What's so funny?" She asked. Tai stopped laughing, but couldn't help but grin.

"Well, I understand you wearing ___my_ shirt, Sora, but how do you expect me to put ___yours_ on?" He asked, holding up Sora's shirt from the evening. It was a form fitting white shirt that wouldn't have fit over Tai's hair, much less his broad shoulders. Sora laughed.

"I'd like to see you try," she said softly. Tai grinned even wider. He walked over beside Sora and laid down facing her window. She leaned over him, her hair dangling mere inches from his face. She seemed to be questioning what he was doing.

"Well, I at least want to stay with you, Sora. I don't want this evening to be a total waste," he said solemnly, gazing into her crimson eyes which seemed to sparkle at him. She smiled and kissed him gently, her hair cascading over his shoulders and face, causing him to shudder lightly.. She whipped a lock of hair behind her ear, causing only one side of her hair to hang loosely. Tai watched her with sudden fascination. 

"One second with you will never be a waste of my time," she whispered. Tai smiled and scooted back a little, bumping into Sora. He patted the part of the bed that was clear in front of him.

"Come over to this side, Sora," he said. She didn't even hesitate before she jumped onto that side. She laid down and pressed her back against Tai's bare, masculine chest. He put an arm around her and held her tightly, making sure that he would never let her go. They laid there for about fifteen minutes before Sora said anything.

"I love you, Tai," she whispered suddenly. There was no answer, just the sound of his slow, graceful breathing. She smiled. He had fallen asleep. What time was it? She gently unwrapped Tai's arm from around her and walked over to his jacket. She reached into his pocket and pulled out the pocket watch, remembering with sudden clarity what a hole it had made in her wallet, but it was worth every penny. She looked at her ring; her present from him. A wonderful one, too. She smiled when she remembered what it represented. She flipped open the lid on the watch and pressed a button, illuminating the display. It read 9:00. They had a while before Tai had to go home. 

_"_Sora?... Sora?... Where are you?" Tai began to murmur, his voice sounding like he had just waken from a bad dream. She turned around and kneeled at the side of the bed. She took his hand in hers and kissed it gently.

"I'm right here, Tai," she whispered. Tai smiled, his eyes still closed in that sleeping position, but his smile disappeared.

"Don't leave me, Sora," he said, his voice faltering, and tears falling down his cheeks. He opened his eyes to look at her. They were pleading, seemingly begging for forgiveness. Begging for her to love him even more. Wanting her in a way that wasn't physically possible. She looked back at him the same way, as if answering him. "Don't leave me," he whispered, his voice beginning to crack from his tears. Sora smiled weakly at him and wiped the tears away.

"Never, Tai. I'll ___never_ leave you," she whispered back, feeling the tears falling down her own face as well. Tai reached out and wiped the tears away just as she had. He cupped his hand against the back of her head and pulled her to him, meeting in a kiss of fire.

*********************************************************************************************

He had gone home right at midnight since her mother wouldn't be home for another 30 minutes. That was cutting it close, but they figured that they needed to push their time. Sora and Tai kissed good bye. She reminded him about meeting in the park the next day at two for the special announcement, and he promised he'd be there. Then he left for home, very excited about the next day. Sora was ecstatic, because she was sure the news would make it the best Christmas ever.

*********************************************************************************************

THE NEXT DAY- CHRISTMAS- 2:11 P.M.

"Come on, Joe. We can't wait forever," Matt said sullenly. He knew what the news was by some premonition, but he was still anxious to hear Tai and Sora announce it. Tai, Sora, Ms. Takenouchi, the Kamiya family, T.K., Izzy, Mimi, and Matt were all waiting patiently in the park to hear what the news was, but Joe was late for some reason. Suddenly, a blue haired man appeared out of no where.

"Sorry I'm late! I lost track of time," he explained. Tai rolled his eyes.

"Well, at least you're here. ___Ahem_... Sora and I have ___special_ announcement to make," he said slowly. Sora and Tai had rehearsed this before everyone had gotten there, so it was supposed to go smoothly.

"Well, for exactly four months today, Tai and I.... have been..... engaged to be married," Sora said ecstatically. She and Tai held their breath, waiting for a response. Instead of dead silence and a scolding from either family, Tai and Sora were greeted by congratulations and good lucks from everyone. Mimi started crying hysterically, glad that her best friend had found somebody. Joe, Izzy, Matt, and T.K. all hugged Sora, glad that they all actually had a chance to get near her. They had expected Tai to be really protective of her, but he was actually as happy as everyone else. T.K. kissed Sora on the cheek, the second time he had done that, and blushed furiously.

"I hope you two are very happy," he said with a bright smile. Sora kissed him back on the cheek and smiled.

"I'm sure we will be. I bet you two will be, too," she said, gesturing with her eyes to Kari, who was standing behind T.K. His grin seemed to get wider.

"We can only hope," he said softly. Kari hugged both her brother and her sister-in-law to be. She was crying, too.

"Man, now that you've got him, I won't have anyone to bug," she said, trying to make an excuse for her tears. Sora laughed and shed a tear with her.

"He'll be around a while longer. I'm ___sure_ I won't have to murder him our first week together," she said through her own tears. All three of the girls laughed. Tai smiled, but just a little uneasy at the thought of their second week together. Mimi and Kari dragged her over to the side and began to talk to her with animated hand motions and joyous laughter. Sora was laughing along with them, but she turned to Tai and smiled, becoming oblivious to Kari and Mimi, who were still talking. Tai smiled back. He was grateful that she hadn't made last night a big deal, but Sora was that kind of person. When he had first come to the park, he had been very nervous around Sora to start off with. She had told him that it was all right, and that she loved him even more now. Tai had trust her word, but he still felt guilty. She had said that he hadn't let her down, but he felt that he had. Miserably. '___But she said she loves you, Tai. And she said that she'll always be with you. You're not going to lose her over something like that. You love her more than anything. She loves you too much, and you need her badly. If you two ever broke up, you'd both be in really, REALLY bad shape.' _Tai accepted this burst of logic as truth. Sora and Tai's eyes were still locked on each other when Matt, T.K., Joe, and Izzy walked over to him. 

"Look at 'em! They're going to get married, and they're still making eyes at each other like they did when they had crushes on each other," Matt said with a grin. Tai snapped out of looking at Sora. 

"What?" he asked, obviously wondering what had just been said. All of the guys laughed, except for Tai, who had no clue what to be laughing at. 

"Well, looks like you've got yourself hooked this time, Tai," Izzy said with a mischievous smile. Tai looked at him with surprise.

"No, I think I got myself the best prize in the world," he replied. Izzy nodded in agreement.

"She's a great person, Tai. Don't ___ever_ let her go," he said, his face very serious. Tai nodded. Even if Izzy wasn't experienced in love, Tai wanted all the help he could get. Matt nodded to agree with Izzy.

"She's the best girl you'll ever meet, Tai. She's so kind and caring. If you hadn't of jumped at the chance to get her because you had loved her since you met her and if I hadn't of known since we were in the digital world that she loved you more than anything, I might have tried for her. But, we all know that a rock and roll star ___doesn't_ look good without any teeth," he said thoughtfully. Tai laughed.

"I would have had the decency to buy you some dentures. I'm at least ___that_ nice," he retorted childishly. They both hit each other in the arm like they were kids again.

"I'd have to agree with Matt. I mean, Sora's one of the best people I have ever met, and I'm sure I will ever meet. Not to mention, she's a looker," Joe said, watching Sora talk animatedly with Mimi and Kari, showing off her ring. Tai raised an eyebrow in speculation.

"If I didn't know better, I would say you guys were all jealous. Either that or in love with ___my_ girl. Now, I ___know_ that wouldn't happen," Tai threatened. Every one of the boys shook their heads furiously, but were all lying. They all loved Sora, and Tai could never stop that. Although, Tai did know that they loved her. They were lucky they loved her in the way that he wouldn't find threatening. They all loved her as a best friend. Tai smiled. "That's what I thought." T.K. looked thoughtful.

"But seriously, Tai. Don't do anything to hurt her. She's strong on the outside, but she's ___really_ fragile inside. Anything you do to her could make her shatter. ___Don't_ hurt her. I think that's from all of us. Take care of her, Tai. She ___needs_ you. Not everyone's love is strong enough to make wings that you can fly on, you know? Hey, take it from me. I've had personal experience. Try to think with your head on straight, okay?" the thirteen year old advised quietly. Tai looked at T.K. and nodded in appreciation of the younger boy's wisdom.

"Okay, kid. Thanks. Thanks to all you guys. Without you, the digital world would be destroyed, the real world completely gone, and Sora and me would be history. Thanks a lot, you guys. Thanks ___a lot_," he said.

"It was our pleasure to serve along your side, Tai. It really was. You're our best friend," Matt said softly. Tai smiled weakly.

"And you guys are mine," he replied. Izzy, T.K., Matt, and Joe all stuck out hands to him. Tai began to take Joe's hand, but caught himself. "Aw, come here!" He said as he grabbed Joe around his stomach and gave him a bear hug. T.K., Matt, and Izzy shrugged and made it a group hug. "I'll never forget what you guys said. Heck, I'll never forget you guys," Tai said as he pulled away. 

"We'll never forget you, Tai," Izzy said, smiling slightly.

"Yeah, almost getting us ___killed_ a million times," Joe said, his pessimism shining through. Matt laughed.

"Reckless decisions," he continued. Tai rolled his eyes.

"Being a ___great_ friend," T.K. said suddenly. Tai smiled at him.

"I'm going to keep in touch with all you guys! After high school graduation, even though that's a way off, and everything," Tai said. All the guys nodded.

"You had better!" Matt exclaimed. Everyone laughed. They all cut their laughter short as Sora walked over to Tai and planted a kiss on his lips. 

"Come on! There are other people here, you know. These guys will always be here for you.... and they had ___better_ always be here for me," she added quickly. The guys all smiled at her.

"___Always_," they said at the same time. Sora made a teary smile of gratefulness and dragged Tai away to talk to their parents. Suddenly, a girl ran up to Tai from out of no where. He recognized her from Sora's tennis team a few months ago. She was in their grade.

"Um, are you Taichi Kamiya?" she asked in a high-pitched voice. Tai nodded questioningly. The girl handed him a piece of paper. The girl scanned her eyes across the park and spotted Matt and the other boys. "Oh, wow! It's ___Matt_!" she yelled suddenly. Matt had a look of pure horror cross his face. '___Not another crazed "Yamato Ishida" fan, please! Dear God, please!' _he thought helplessly. The girl giggled lightly. "Here! This is an invitation to a party tonight," she said, handing Matt a piece of paper identical to Tai's. She walked over to T.K. and stared at him seductively. "You're ___really_ cute. Here you go. I think you're good looking enough to go to the party," she said, handing him another piece of paper. T.K. smiled, but Kari stood beside him, fuming. You could almost see the snow melt around her. The girl looked at Joe and Izzy and smiled brilliantly. "___You_ two are cute, too. You can come," she said, and handed them another piece of paper each. 

"What party ___is_ this?" Tai asked, wondering how the heck the girl had found him just to invite him to a party. The girl just smiled at him.

"It's all on the invitation. It's Kara Ishya's Christmas party," she explained. Tai looked at her sharply. Kara Ishya's? That was the captain of the Odaiba cheer leading squad. The thought of her made him wary. He had heard from a couple of soccer players on his team that Kara had planned to make him hers, but that was right before Sora and he had gone public. Sora coughed, trying to remind the girl that she didn't have an invitation. Kari did the same. "Oh, you don't get one," she said, looking at Sora. The seventeen year old girl's jaw went slack. Something wasn't right. Everyone got one except her, Mimi, and Kari.

"What about me and Kari? Besides, Sora is Tai's fiance`," Mimi countered. The girl that had given them the invitations stared at Mimi blankly.

"Fiance`?" 

"Yep," Sora said rather rudely. Tai looked at the girl curiously.

"You give Sora, Mimi, and Kari one, or none of us guys are going," he said flatly. The guys all nodded in agreement. The girl sighed.

"Fine," she said as she dished out three more invitations. Sora smiled at Tai and then went on to look at her invitation. The girl started to walk away, but she stopped. "Oh, and by the way. Tai was the ___only_ one that was really invited. The rest of you were just invited because I was nice enough. Tai's invitation came directly from Kara Ishya ___herself_," the girl said and began to walk away again. Tai felt his heart drop. Did Kara really have interest in him? In a sense, Kara was really, well "loose". Everyone on the guys' soccer team had slept with her before, or so claimed. Tai gulped. He'd have to be careful. He looked at Sora and saw that she was very angry, apparently thinking about the same thing he was. In fact, Sora knew what Tai was thinking about, and what's worse, knew it was true. She was glaring at the girl hard enough to bore holes in the back of her head.

"Well, Kara Ishya can't ___have_ him," she fumed. Tai laughed, forgetting his thoughts.

"Calm down. We've got a party to go to. Our first one together. Let's have some fun, eh?" he said. Sora smiled.

"Of course we will. Everyone's going, right?" All of the digidestined nodded.

"Can't miss something like this," Mimi piped up. Everyone laughed.

"Same old Mimi," Tai said. 

"Well, I need to go see Yolei. I promised to visit her every time I was in town. I'll see you all tonight at..." Mimi flipped open the invitation. "7:00. Bye!" She waved as she ran off. Tai took out his new pocket watch. That was still 4 ½½½½ hours away! Sora brought him back to reality and he began to talk with his parents and Sora's mom. Tai's parents, dumb as they were, were still spellbound with the news, wondering how they could have missed such a perfect couple.

Sora listened to every word their parents were saying, but something was nagging at her. Something bad was going to happen at that party.

She could feel it.

**WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN AT THE CHRISTMAS PARTY? ARE SORA'S THOUGHTS RIGHT, OR IS SHE JUST BEING PARANOID?**

**TO BE CONTINUED......**

**A/N: Ok, ok. So Kara Ishya's not a great name. I had to invent one, okay? At least it sounds *remotely* Japanese. Well, any-who, back to what I was going to say. What WAS I going to say? Hmmm. Oh yeah. All right, before I have people email me, no, there is NOT going to be a character death. Glad I got that out of the way. The next part is really important because it tells if Sora was right or not and what's gonna happen. Also kinda sorta explains the title. OKAY! I have realized an error in my ways. Okay, in this story, I portray all the characters in their 02 ages and appearances. Now, the way I have been writing it, they have already been on their adventures, which would mean that the new digidestined went a year before, okay? So, even though the characters are in 02 ages, they have already been to the digiworld, capeesh? Ken has not been added because I have not found a particular part for him, yet. Maybe later on in the story he'll come in, but you won't********see it coming because I won't say his name once. I've only mentioned Davis once or twice in the whole series, along with Cody and Yolei. Tell me what you think! It's going to get really good next part, so don't give up on me yet! Email me with questions or comments at Dragonsouldreamer767@hotmail.com I have a request of everybody. Please don't ask me questions in the reviews because it takes me longer to respond. Please just email me if you have any questions. **

**I think about this story for about a month and it turns out this sucky. *sigh* Will things ever turn out right? I dunno. You tell me. You're guess is about as good as mine. PLEASE REVIEW, THOUGH! Even my sucky writing deserves a comment or two. Okay, I'll just say this. If I don't get 15 reviews, there will be no part 2. Give me flames or fame, whatever. (Out of the goodness of my heart, I might go for 14, but no less. What can I say? I'm in the Christmas spirit!)**

**THANKS!**

**Artisan of the Written Word a.k.a. The Writer**

**P.S. **

******M********E********R********R********Y************C********H********R********I********S********T********M********A********S********!********!********!********!**


	2. Endangering Forever Part 2

**ENDANGERING FOREVER PART TWO**

**(How to Fly Part Nine if you're still counting)**

**A/N: Here I am again. It's going to get really good in this part. **

**Dedication: *winks at Logan* Isn't it obvious?... But not only him. I would like to thank Kari, too. She's a great friend, even though I don't get to talk to her anymore. Angel, too. Miss talking to you guys! **

**Disclaimer: Been here, done that. Got the hat and the shoes to prove it. In other words, go read part one if this is what you're looking for.**

**Warning: Lots of Taiora, a little more Takari than the last one, and a few other couples that will be more obvious as you read on. Please, *please* don't be mad at me about Matt. I do not want fourteen hundred emails telling me how I should pair him up with Mimi or something, so just drop it. There are sexual references (not exactly like in the first one,) and a little angst. As if this warning wasn't obvious in the first place.... Well, I guess it's to you people who read something, but afterwards don't have a *clue* to what you just read.**

**Well, please review. I think I'll do the same thing as last time. 15 reviews or more and I'll do Part three. Maybe 14. MAYBE, but let's be safe and go with 15, okay?****I'd like to say I'm a little upset that I have been getting like 300 hits on my stories, but I'm only getting 7 and 8 reviews. You guys out there who read and don't review, please stop. If you hate my story, I want to hear why. Not so I can stalk you, but I want to know what a reader thinks as they're reading my stuff. The only things I will not go for in my reviews are:**

*** **People telling me that I should to Sorato, or some different coupling. I chose what I chose for a reason. I don't want people to keep emailing me, telling me that I should have chosen totally different relationships.**

*** **I don't want people telling me that my story line should be cleaner. This is a more realistic issue, and I believe that it deserves someone to write about it. Sure, it sounds like a soap opera and almost no one's life is actually like that, but what the hey.**

*** **I will not go for yaoi or yuri (is that right?) fics. I just don't do it. No, I'm not homophobic or anything, but I just don't do that kind of thing.**

**HOWEVER:**

*** **I would like to hear what you really think. Don't be afraid to tell the author what you have on your mind. I am a tough person; I can handle the criticism. Believe me. Criticism is the absolute least of my worries.**

*** **Suggestions are fine, but I won't promise *anyone* that I'll do them. If I don't write about them, I'm sure someone else might, so you never know who will use your idea.**

*** **You guys please *please* email me with questions. It's very hard for me to actually write you from the reviews. My email is dragonsouldreamer767@hotmail.com Email me here if you're confused, or actually want to congratulate me or something. I know that sounds weird, but I really don't know *what* goes through my readers heads when they read my story, so I guess I'm saying I'd actually like to get to know you guys better. **

**NOW YOU CAN READ! PLEASE REVIEW! (Yet again, that goes to those people who don't have a *clue* to what they just read.)**

"Come on, Sora! Are you going to take all night or what? Everybody's waiting for you!" Tai shouted up the stairs to her room. Sora's mother stood by him, her arms crossed impatiently.

"I've got seven people in my living room! You had better come down here now!" she yelled. Sora sighed. They just couldn't understand. Everyone had wanted her to act more like a girl, but when she tried to look like one, they always rushed her.

"I'm coming, Mama!" she yelled back down. She looked in the mirror. She whipped a lock of her hair behind her ear, making it seem one sided. She was wearing tight black pants, not leather because she hated those, but just simple black pants with a light blue top that was pleasantly formfitting. She thought Tai would like it. She took one last deep breath, grabbed her jacket, and ran down the stairs. Once she came into view, she heard a few gasps, one of them being from Tai. She smiled. "I _do_ have that effect on you, don't I?" she said cockily. Tai smiled back.

"Yes, you do have that heart attack thing going on with me. All right. Is everyone ready to go?" he asked, yet again taking control like he had so well in the digital world. Everyone nodded. Joe adjusted his shirt collar. 

"Yes, Cap'n. We are awaitin' your orders," he said in a fairly accurate pirate impression. Tai just raised an eyebrow while Kari, Sora, and Mimi giggled.

"Shut up, Joe. Okay. Well, let's get going. T.K., you and Kari go in front of me. No funny business or one of you two isn't going to make it to that party, and I'm not talking about my sister.... Capeesh?" Tai threatened. Sora poked him in the ribs, trying to get him not to scare T.K., but it was too late. T.K. was smiling nervously, taking three steps away from Kari as a precaution. Kari rolled her eyes.

"One of these days, Taichi Kamiya. One of these days," she whispered, knowing that she'd have to get back at him. He smiled.

"One of these days we'll arrive at that party. Come on and let's go!" he urged.

"Righto. Let's get going," Matt said, trekking toward the door.

"Have a good time, kids!" Sora's mother called. Sora looked back and smiled.

"We will, Mom," she said as she put on her jacket and walked out into the freezing cold, but wondered if she had actually been telling the truth.

"It's really, _really_ cold out here," T.K. said, shivering both from the cold and the presence of Kari's seemingly merciless brother. 

"Just walk, bub. No time for chit chat," Tai called from behind. T.K. sighed, rolling his eyes in the same manner Kari had. She caught his action and laughed quietly. Sora locked arms with Tai, sighed, and put her head on his shoulder. Matt smiled as Tai leaned his head against hers in a loving manner.

"Take care of her, Tai," Matt whispered from behind. Sora didn't hear what Matt had said, but Tai did. He turned his head just enough to see Matt and nodded slightly.

"I will," he mouthed back. He took his pocket watch out of his pocket and studied it's glowing face carefully. It was 6:50, and they had a solid fifteen minute walk to Kara's apartment. Tai, Sora, Izzy, Joe, Matt, Mimi, Kari, and T.K. walked toward the party at full speed, chatting with each other candidly as best friends, all wondering what would happen, if anything at all. 

*********************************************************************************************

"Hello!" Kara greeted them at the front door, yelling over some loud music in the background. Upon arriving, all of the older digidestined had found out that Kara's house was not an apartment, it was a mansion. '_She must be one of the richest people in Japan... No wonder she gets what she wants,'_ Sora thought bitterly. She imagined what she could have if her and her mother actually had money, but then wiped the thoughts clean from her mind. She had Tai, and that was _more_ than enough. Kara had long black hair that went below her waist. She was as tall as Sora, but was just a little smaller in the waist, which gave Sora another thing to be jealous of. Sora was very thin, but as every girl does, she wished to be thinner. Kara had pale skin, but was a little darker than Sora, who was like Snow White in a way. Kara's startling blue eyes, which mimicked T.K.'s and Matt's in color, fell onto Tai. She smiled brightly. "Hello, Tai. Nice of you to come," she said, her eyes traveling up and down his body. Something about her gaze made him want to run away and never come back, but Sora had an ever tightening grip on her arm. Kara's gaze went from Tai to Izzy, Joe, Matt, Mimi, Kari, T.K., and finally Sora. Sora scowled slightly at Kara, wary of what the rich girl had in mind. Kara didn't scowl back however. Kara smiled brightly. Her smile was friendly.... _too_ friendly. "I heard that all of your friends were coming. They are welcome here," she said. Sora wondered how she could keep a straight face while saying that. Tai saw the look Sora was giving Kara and shivered. Why was Sora being like that? For all they knew, the rumors about her sleeping around could be false. He nudged Sora gently in the ribs.

"Come on, Sora. Be nice," he whispered. Sora felt her cheeks flood a deep crimson, but her eyes never left Kara, who was seemingly trying to hold back laughter. After this, her cheeks were no longer crimson of embarrassment, but of an immense hatred for Kara. Sora wasn't stupid at all. She was in a way like Izzy, having a lot of book sense, but when it came to common sense, Sora was usually the queen. There had been a few times that she had faltered, granted, but Tai had saved her those times, and she was grateful. This time, it didn't really take common sense or a whole lot of book sense to figure out what Kara was after. The other digidestined knew that, too, except for Tai, who was usually quick to state the obvious, but not so quick to figure out the not-so-obvious. This time, he didn't _want_ to state the obvious. He wanted to have a good time, no matter who was after him. The Kara girl seemed really nice, and he didn't want to judge her.

"Come in, you guys. Don't just stand in the cold," Kara said, backing up a little from the door and beckoning them inside. Sora's eyes never left Kara, as if she was afraid the rich girl would jump from the shadows and take her boyfriend. Sora may have been kind and gentle, but when it came down to her man, she could get down right hostile.

They all accepted her invitation and stampeded inside the door, trekking snow all over Kara's carpet. She told them it was all right and took them on a tour of the house. They passed different people who seemed indifferent in the digidestined's presence. There were a couple that were prejudice of Tai because of the incident four months ago and yelled profanities out at him, but he just smiled and kept walking. The whole time Sora had her arm hooked with Tai's, making it obvious that he was hers. She made sure that the ring on her hand was in full view. Tai felt her tightening grip on his arm. Sora was nervous, but why? '_Doesn't she get it? I'm hers, and she's mine. She doesn't have anything to be worried about. I LOVE her, for crying out loud!_ ' Tai thought. He looked back at T.K. and Kari, and saw that Kari had a death grip on T.K.'s arm too, who looked like he was going to scream from lack of blood to his hands. Tai smiled and shrugged. '_Girls will be girls, boys will be boys,' _he mused. Sora wasn't thinking the same thing, however. She didn't know why, but she felt that she just might lose Tai, and she didn't want to. Ever. 

Matt, Joe, and Izzy were behind the group with Mimi directly in front of them. 

"Something tells me we better keep an eye on Sora. After those looks she was shooting Kara, it's a wonder that something's not happened yet. We had better not let Sora get alone in a room with her because she may come out being charged with capital murder," Mimi said to them as they were being given a tour. They all nodded as they passed a group of teenagers that seemed to be playing Truth or Dare.

"But don't forget Tai. If he does anything with her, Sora will be charged with a _double _homicide," Izzy said quietly. Joe nodded, but then seemed thoughtful.

"Who's going to look after who?" he asked. Matt put up a hand.

"I'll go after Tai. Mimi needs to stay with Sora. Maybe you, Joe. You seem like the kind of guy that could keep Sora out of trouble," he said questioningly. Joe sighed.

"Whatever. So it's me and Mimi going after Sora while Izzy goes after... Wait a second. Izzy? I don't think he could do much for Tai," he said skeptically. Izzy's expression became downcast.

"Contrary to popular belief, all that technical jargon can really kill the mood, so yeah, he'll come in handy," Matt said with a slight smile. Izzy stuck out his tongue, but nodded reluctantly.

"Okay. Well, gang. Let's move into position," Mimi said. 

"Break!" Matt yelled like a football player as they passed another group of teenagers who were eating some snack food, but was met with a punch to the shoulder.

"Just give us away, Matt. It's not like we're trying to be secretive or anything," Izzy scolded sarcastically. Matt stuck out his tongue at Izzy and they all moved into position, leaving Kari and T.K. wondering what was going on. Privately, they were wondering if the tour was going to last forever. It very well could have. It was a mansion, after all. 

For the rest of the tour, Tai and Sora had four body guards. Meanwhile, Sora felt like running away from the Kara girl and never coming back. 

Something was going to happen and it was going to affect her and Tai.

She could feel it.

*********************************************************************************************

"Well, I hope you all have a good time," Kara said as she finished their tour. Tai nodded to her.

"I'm sure we will," he said politely, but felt shivers run up and down his spine. Kara smiled at him and walked off. "Well, I guess we don't have to stick together anymore," he said, turning his attention to Sora and the others. Yet again, he felt Sora's grip tighten on his arm.

"Maybe we should stick together for a while longer," Kari piped up. Sora nodded anxiously.

"Yeah, at least for a little while. Come on, Tai. Please," she pleaded. He nodded reluctantly. 

"Sure, why not?" he said. Sora was grateful. 

"I'm hungry," Matt said. Tai smiled.

"I'm usually the one to say that," he mused. Matt shrugged.

"We all change a little. Oh, dear God! Is that who I think it is?" he said, suddenly afraid beyond words. Sora looked around, her smile becoming a worried look.

"Who are you talking about, Matt?" she asked. Matt shuddered.

"It's Jun." There was a couple of muffled giggles and snickers from the other digidestined. "Oh, yeah. It's _hilarious_ when you're the one that's watching, but when you're the one she's chasing, then you start to get the idea." The digidestined followed Matt's gaze to a girl that was talking to some guys. They seemed to be in a heated argument about something. Suddenly, one of the guys pushed Jun backward, making her fall. Matt sighed. _'Why am I doing this?_' he asked himself. He ran over to her and picked her up.

"Matt???" she asked. He smiled, as if trying to say '_don't ever mention this to anyone_' but then turned to the guy that had pushed her down. 

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked. 

"She was getting on my nerves. Got a problem, punk?" the guy asked. Matt shoved him.

"Don't _ever_ call me that," he growled angrily. The guy backed away. Matt was taller than him, so it wouldn't have been a fair fight.

"Thank you, Matt," Jun said as she brushed herself off. She suddenly leaned forward with pursed lips. He jumped backward.

"What are you doing?" he asked, not saying it quite as angrily as he felt. Jun simply pointed upwards. Matt groaned and looked up. '_It HAD to be mistletoe,'_ he thought angrily.

"Besides, you helped me," she coaxed. Matt rolled his eyes, kissed her on the lips, and walked away to join his friends. Jun smiled after him, now feeling dizzy. _'Maybe he likes me_,' she thought and walked away, still thinking of Matt.

"What was _that_ about, Matt?" Mimi asked sweetly. He rolled his eyes at her.

"Some idiot pushed her down," he said, knowing what they were going to say next.

"I think somebody likes Jun," Sora said, grinning wildly. Matt scowled at her.

"No, I would have done the same thing for you or anyone else for that matter," he said as-a-matter-of-factly. Tai raised an eyebrow.

"Than what were you doing kissing her?" he asked. Matt felt his face go blood red, but the lighting was dim and it was hard to see.

"Mistletoe, okay?" he snapped. Kari, Mimi, and Sora giggled.

"Maybe we need to go talk to Jun," Kari teased. Matt shook his head furiously.

"I still hate her guts. You can't change that," he told them. Sora finally relaxed her grip on Tai's arm and put a hand on Matt's shoulder.

"Well, maybe you should try to give her the time of day. You never know. At least make an attempt," she pleaded. She stuck out her lower lip and gave him puppy dog eyes, clasping her hands against her chest. Matt rolled his blue eyes once again.

"Fine. Man, I've _got_ to stop caving in," he told himself. Tai put a hand on both of Matt's shoulders.

"You're in for it now," Tai said, putting his head in his hands. "To think. You had _so_ much promise." Matt smirked and hit Tai's hand off his shoulder. He looked at Sora and forced a smile.

"At least let me talk to her, not you guys. I don't trust you _that_ much," he said as he started his search to find Jun again. Sora watched him and crossed her arms.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that Matt _wanted_ to find her," she said. Mimi crossed her arms beside Sora.

"I know what you mean. Men can be so confusing," she said thoughtfully. Tai laughed.

"Women aren't exactly open books that we can read, either," he said. Sora looked at him and smiled.

"Either that, or you can't read. I sent you signals like crazy in the digital world, and you end up going out with me six years later," she said. Tai stuck his tongue out at her and began to look around the room. 

"I saw some people dancing about a mile back. Do you want to go find them?" Mimi asked. Tai nodded.

"A mile back is about right. What about Matt, though?" he asked. Sora shrugged.

"I don't think that we'll have anything to worry about. He's probably going to be very busy," she said, smirking at the thought of Matt and Jun being together.

"Well then, let's go," Joe urged.

"Wow, Joe. Is that _eagerness_ I hear in your voice? I didn't think you liked to dance," Izzy said. Joe blushed and straightened his collar.

"Well, I don't. I just kind of wanted to meet someone," he said quietly. Sora smiled.

"If something happens and I have to murder Tai, I'll be free and you can have me," she said, smiling mischievously. Tai winced.

"Hopefully, nothing like that will happen though," he said. Joe laughed.

"I'll keep you in mind, Sora," he said with a smile. Tai gulped audibly.

"Well, what about me? It'd be nice for someone to keep _me_ in mind," Mimi said sullenly. Izzy blushed.

"I will," he said abruptly, almost cutting her off. Mimi smiled at him. 

"Thank you, Izzy." Joe looked at Izzy.

"Somebody likes Mi-mi," he sang. Izzy scowled.

"Shut up, Joe." 

They made their way for the dance floor, winding through the maze that was the Ishya Mansion.

**********************************************************************************************

"Hello, Jun." She whirled from talking to her friends to meet ice blue eyes.

"Matt!" she exclaimed suddenly. She wanted to hug him, but knew that wouldn't go over well. He groaned inwardly. '_Why did I agree to this?_ '

"Hey, I just wanted to apologize for brushing you off. I shouldn't have been like that," he apologized, his eyes almost immediately falling to his shoes. He jammed his hands into his pockets like a little kid. 

"Oh, that's okay, Matt. I'm the one that should be apologizing to you," she said softly. Matt looked up at her with a knit brow.

"What for?"

"Well, I'm the one that follows you like a raving maniac," she said, laughing softly. He almost grinned, but caught himself. _'Don't give into her, Matt. That's exactly what she wants you to do, and that's exactly what Sora wants you to do, too. DON'T give in!'_

"Don't be sorry. You're not the only one," he said, trying to make her feel more comfortable. She smiled.

"Thanks, Matt. Are you hungry?" she asked. Matt nodded a little too anxiously.

"Like a bear," he said. She giggled.

"Well, there some food in Kara's kitchen. She's one of my friends," she explained.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I don't like the way she treats herself, though," she said thoughtfully, her expression growing grave. She began to walk and Matt followed reluctantly.

"Well, how about we put something in my stomach, and you can tell me stuff about this Kara girl." Jun smiled at him.

"I'd love to," she said politely, and led Matt to the kitchen.

****************************************************************************************

"Well, what now?" Sora asked. Joe and Mimi had split up from them almost immediately. Izzy stood beside Sora, eyeing Mimi dreamily. Tai looked at her.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to wait for a slow song to play. I really don't like fast ones. If I recall correctly, you don't either," he said. Sora smiled as she remembered telling him that.

**********FLASHBACK*********

"I hate dances," Sora said sadly. She, Tai, and Matt were all in the eighth grade and it was their Homecoming Dance. 

"Why?" Tai asked from behind, startling her. 

"Well, number one, I never have anyone to dance with, and number two, I can't fast dance," she explained. She sighed heavily. '_There's only one person I want to dance with,_' she thought.

"Well, I don't like to fast dance, either. Here's the deal. The next slow dance that comes up, and you don't have anybody to dance with, I'll dance with you. How 'bout that?" he asked. '_Please say yes, Sora. Please say yes.'_

"It's a deal!" she said, putting out a hand to make it official. '_Just make it a little bit more obvious, Sora,' _she scolded herself. Tai shook her hand with a dreamy look on his face.

"Good." He had walked off with a smile on his face. 

Sure enough, Sora had no one to dance with, and Tai danced the last slow dance with her, making that dance the best one _ever_ to either of them.

********END FLASHBACK*******

Tai knew exactly what she was thinking about and smiled.

"Hey, Sora," Izzy said slowly.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Where's T.K. and Kari?" Sora shrugged.

"I dunno. Come to think of it, I think we lost them near one of the Truth or Dare games," she said thoughtfully. Tai's expression became dark.

"What?" he growled slowly. Sora caught on and put a hand on Tai's face.

"Oh, come on, Tai. Just be glad that they got together. I don't think they're going to be doing anything. They're 13 years old for crying out loud," she said reassuringly. Tai looked at her warily. '_She doesn't know what Kari wanted to get T.K. for Christmas'_ he thought sullenly, but then remembered his advice to his little sister. To wait until they knew the time was right. Dang! He had forgotten that T.K. and Kari were a little bit more mature than other seventh graders at Odaiba. Still, his sister wasn't like that.... was she? He sighed in defeat. If Kari and T.K. wanted to do something like that and had their minds set on it, there wasn't really a way that he could stop them, was there? Unless he _really _murdered T.K. Tai smiled. The thought was beginning to appeal to him, but before he could figure out how he could do it without being caught, Sora kissed passionately on the lips, snapping him out of his thought. He kissed her back more passionately than he ever had before, leaving her gasping for breath.

"What was that for?" he asked. Not that he didn't enjoy the kiss, he just wasn't prepared for such a sudden rush. Apparently, neither was Sora. She was still gathering her breath, so she simply pointed up. Tai smiled at the culprit. Mistletoe. Of course. "Dang. Is that stuff _everywher_e?" he asked aloud. Sora shrugged.

"It seemed convenient," she said, grinning mischievously.

"Indeed it was," he said, returning the grin. Izzy rolled his eyes and went out into the crowd of dancers. There must have been over a hundred people at the party. Tai looked up and saw Kara watching him with hungry eyes. He suddenly felt the urge as if to make Kara jealous and kissed Sora again, even more passionately. He broke away with a satisfied look on his face, but to his dismay, Kara was gone. Was he trying to prove that he was Sora's? Well, if that had been his goal, he had apparently done a good job of doing it.

"Wow," was all Sora could manage. He smiled at her.

"Just wait until our wedding night," he said softly. Sora smiled.

"Let's don't get into that again....yet..." she whispered seductively. Tai laughed.

"Man, don't give me another heart attack," he said loud enough that only she could hear. The upbeat music was enough to make them yell, but they focused only on each other, making it easy to hear the other's words. '_Hopefully Kari is planning on giving me one, either_,' he thought sullenly.

*********************************************************************************************

"Uh, T.K.? I think we're lost," Kari said as they wondered through a completely dark room in the house. T.K. was holding her hand in his, wondering if they were ever going to find a way out of there. And he, being the man that he was, wouldn't stop and ask someone where the heck they were.

"You may be right, but we'll find our way out," he said. Kari rolled her eyes.

"How can we find our way out if we can't even see where we're _going?_" she contradicted. T.K. stopped and looked in her direction.

"Well, I'm sorry, but I don't recall you helping me any," he retorted childishly. Kari sighed.

"I don't want to fight, T.K. Please. It's Christmas. We should be happy because we're together," she said. T.K. felt himself smile.

"You're right. I've made some really stupid mistakes," he said, obviously referring to what happened to them both some time ago, "and I don't want to make anymore by losing you. I almost lost you once." Kari put his hand against her cheek.

"Actually, I almost lost you. I've made mistakes, too, but maybe we can keep a few from happening. I love you, T.K.," she whispered. T.K. felt himself grin even wider.

"I love you, Hikari," he said softly. She smiled at his use of her real name. There was a pause.

"Well, no use standing in the dark. Maybe we could go back the way we came?" she said hopefully. T.K. nodded, but forgot Kari couldn't see it.

"Yeah, but this time, _you_ lead the way," he suggested. She nodded furiously.

"That might be a good idea. How did we get lost in the first place?" she asked as she began to lead him again. T.K. shrugged.

"I have _no_ idea. I wonder how Matt is doing with Jun," he wondered aloud. Kari giggled.

"He's probably screaming," she said, still giggling. T.K. laughed.

"Either that or kissing her again," he said. They both laughed and continued on their journey back to the others.

********************************************************************************************** Actually, Matt was doing neither. Jun had made him a sandwich, and they had found a place at the table for them both to sit down. He was listening to her intently while scarfing down a whole ham sandwich.

"What did you mean earlier when you said that you didn't like the way Kara treats herself?" he asked with a mouthful of sandwich. Jun sat back in her chair and sighed.

"She abuses her body I guess you could say. I'm sure you've heard about her," she said. Matt nodded.

"I've heard some things about her and the soccer team," he said. Jun rolled her eyes and looked away from him.

"Yeah, it's true. The whole soccer team, except for that one guy. What's his name? I always forget."

"Tai?"

"Yeah, that's him. She said he's the cutest one on the team, and she's not far from the truth. He is handsome, but she got really mad when she heard that he and Sora were going out. That made her even more determined." Matt swallowed what he had in his mouth.

"Well, I bet she's _really_ mad now," he said. Jun turned her gaze from the floor back to Matt.

"Why?" Matt put down the sandwich and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"They're engaged, that's why. Tai and Sora announced it this afternoon," he said, feeling a little smug that he knew the information before the school's gossip queen did. Jun put a hand up to her mouth.

"_Sora?_" she asked incredulously. Matt narrowed his eyes.

"What's wrong with Sora?" he asked, feeling the anger build in his stomach. He wasn't about to let someone insult Sora without someone to defend her. Jun put up her hands in defense.

"Hey, hey. Don't get defensive. I was just a little surprised, that's all. I didn't expect them to get engaged or anything," she said, trying to explain her response. Matt felt the hair on his neck lay down. '_Down, boy, down!_'' he thought. 

"Sorry. It's just her and Tai are my best friends," he said sheepishly. Jun smiled.

"That's okay. Sometimes I feel like I could murder some people with my bare hands when they insult one of my friends. I totally understand." Matt could help but smile at her, the first time all night. '_Jun is actually being sincere. Wow,' _ he thought. With sudden clarity, he remembered that he was supposed to be looking after Tai.

"Oh great. I'm sorry, Jun, but I've got to go. I'm supposed to stick close to one of my friends, you know, keep and eye on him. I'm surprised to admit, but it was nice talking to you," he said, his smile growing a little sorrowful. He caught himself. '_Are you actually SAD that you're going to leave her? You hate her, remember?'_ he scolded, but he was beginning to think Jun wasn't so bad. She looked sad, too.

"Well, once you stopped avoiding me, it was nice talking to you, too," she said, laughing a little. 

"I shouldn't have been such a jerk," he said. He suddenly felt his cheeks go red. He was _blushing _because of _Jun_? That was the second time tonight. She smiled.

"Well, like you said, I'm not the only one that follows you, right?" He nodded.

"Right." He paused.

"Shouldn't you get going?" she asked. Matt nodded slowly. '_Go ahead and ask her, Matt. Like Sora said, you never know.'_

_"_Yeah, but I was wondering if you would like to... go dance with me or something? You're a lot nicer than I thought and you could help me keep an eye on my friend." Jun smiled brilliantly and clasped her hands in front of her.

"Of course I would! But shouldn't you finish your sandwich or something?" she asked. Matt nodded.

"Sure, but then we'll go, okay?" 

"Okay... it's a date," she added quickly. Matt looked up at her from his sandwich and grinned.

"I wouldn't call it that, but whatever makes you sleep at night," he said, but was privately wondering if maybe he would go out with her some time. She _did_ seem nicer that he had previously thought. But, as always, one thing at a time.

"Okay, then can we at least be friends?" she asked, her face serious. Matt looked at her again.

"Sure, why not?" Jun smiled. '_Maybe he likes me...' _she thought. Matt continued eating his sandwich, but not without casting casual glances at Jun.

'_She _is_ kind of pretty....'_

********************************************************************************************** "Um, Mimi?" She turned around and met Izzy face to face. He had grown a _lot _since the digital world, and she noticed he was a little bit more handsome.

"Hey, Izzy. Man, I can barely hear you! The music is really-" The song that was playing stopped almost instantly. "-loud," she finished in a quiet voice. Izzy smiled.

"Yeah, I guess. I was wondering if you wanted to dance with me later?" he asked, shuffling his feet. Mimi smiled.

"Sure. I'd like that," she said. Izzy grinned.

"Great! I'll see you later, then," he said, blushing furiously and running off. Mimi watched him with an eyebrow raised.

"Men...." Then she promptly turned around and walked the other way, wondering if Izzy would actually dance with her.

**********************************************************************************************

"Um, hey!" Joe said, trying desperately to meet someone. The girl turned around and grinned at him. Joe gulped. It was the same girl that had given them the invitations. He gulped. '_Out of over a hundred people, I had to get the ditz....'_

"Hey! You're the guy that I saw earlier today! You're the cute one," she said with a smile. Joe smiled, blushing furiously.

"Yeah, I guess. You're not half bad yourself," he said, trying to stop fidgeting. She giggled.

"I'm guessing you're nervous." Joe shoved his hands in his pockets to conceal that he had sweaty palms.

"Ye-yeah, just a bit," he said, smiling lopsidedly. The girl nodded, as if that was what she expected him to say.

"That's okay. I'm not the kind of person that you're supposed to be nervous around. I mean, I'm cheerful, kind, sweet, caring, beauti-"

"Modest, too," Joe said, cutting her off. He was a little aggitated by her quirkiness, but he had come to meet girls. '_I wish Sora would hurry up and murder Tai_,' he thought with a grin.

"What are you smiling about?" the girl asked suddenly. Joe laughed.

"Just a crime that might be committed. Forget about it." The girl narrowed her eyes.

"Uh..huh... yeah, well, do you want to dance?" she asked, forgetting all about what Joe said. He nodded.

"Yeah, sure." She grabbed his hand and took him to the middle of the room, where a slow song was just beginning. He gulped as she put her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him. "Um, okay." 

"How old are you?" she asked. Joe smiled.

"I'm 18. How about you?" The girl almost squealed with delight.

"You're 18? I'm 17!" Joe rolled his eyes and pushed his glasses back up on the ridge of his nose.

"That's...cool," he said, trying to seem interested, but he really wasn't. '_Come on, Sora. Just kill Tai and get me out of this mess_,' he thought hopelessly.

**********************************************************************************************

"It's a slow song, Tai. You said you'd wait until a slow dance," Sora pleaded, tugging on Tai's hand. He smiled widely at her.

"Yeah, yeah. You don't have to be so excited," he said. Sora pushed him backwards with a mischievous smile on her face. 

"I can if I want," she retorted childishly. He laughed.

"Same old head strong Sora." Sora glared at him playfully.

"Same old big haired Tai," she said, grinning. He made a face at her, but suddenly found himself with Sora in his arms, her head against his chest. She was close enough to him that he could feel her breathing. He could have actually counted her heartbeats. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair, taking a deep breath as if to make sure she was there.

"God, I love you," he whispered. Sora buried her face into his shoulder.

"I love you, too, Tai," she whispered back. 

"Would you marry me?" he asked. Sora pulled away from him and looked into his eyes.

"I'm already going to," she said softly. The music's harmonic sound filled the air, as if painting a romantic scene.

"I know, but could you just say it again? I want you to always be mine," he replied. Sora smiled.

"I'll marry you a million times over. Yes, I'll marry you," she said. She expected him to smile back at her, but he didn't. He looked away, his face was grave; almost too serious. They were gently swaying back in forth to the music, but were now oblivious to it. Sora looked at him, her face becoming as serious as his was. "What's wrong, Tai?" He looked back to her, his eyes showing something vulnerable inside of him. As if he could break into a million pieces if someone gave the word. She looked deep into his eyes, trying to find what was making some vulnerable. Sora hugged him closer to her, deepening the gaze, but all to no avail. He looked away from her, but she wouldn't let him go that easy. She unwrapped one of her hands from around him and turned his chin so he would be facing her. She looked into his eyes again, hoping that she would find an answer, but only found his silent tears. He was crying again. Until Sora had started going out with him, she had never seen him cry. Now he seemed to do it around her like it was natural. She had never known he was so sensitive. "Tai? What's wrong? Tell me, please!" she said, tears beginning to run down her face, too. "When something's bothering you, it's eating me up inside. Please just tell me! I love you! Just tell me!" Tai made himself look deeper into her eyes. 

"I disappointed you." Sora gaze softened.

"Is that what it is? You will never disappoint me. Is this because of last night?" He nodded meekly. Sora sighed deeply. "You could never disappoint me over something like that. That was _my_ fault, not yours. Please don't cry," she whispered, wiping away his tears. He smiled weakly, but it quickly became saddened.

"Please don't leave me," he whispered. Sora put both of his hands onto his face.

"I won't ever leave you, Tai. Why do you keep questioning my love for you?" she asked, her eyes becoming glassy, as if tears were going to come again. Tai froze. That's exactly what he had been doing. And by questioning her love for him, he was hurting her. T.K.'s words rang through his head. "_She's strong on the outside, but she's REALLY fragile inside. Anything you do to her could make her shatter. Don't hurt her."_ That kid had a lot more wisdom that a lot of people older than him did. He had said it exactly right. Sora had always been able to accurately put on faces so no one would know what was going in her mind, but the digidestined knew her way better than that; especially Tai.He felt like he could cry again, just at the thought of hurting her. Hadn't he said before that he would never hurt her? Yes, he had. He had broken his promise to her, along with so many others.

"I'm sorry, Sora. I...don't know why. It's like I want to believe you, but something inside of me doesn't want to. I love you so much, and I hope that you love me back. It's just that love can bring two people together, but it can also drive them apart," he said, trying to explain himself. Sora tilted her head slightly.

"How so?" Tai sighed. She was right to question him, although he wasn't exactly sure what he meant.

"Well, like I love you so much, but I keep wondering deep down inside if you love me just as much." He saw the expression on Sora's face go from confusion to being deeply hurt. "Hold on, Sora. Just let me finish." She didn't change her expression, but didn't say anything either. "See, if a couple is like that, one of them can make the other feel like they are... smothering the other one, you know? I just want you to be with me, and I can't live without you. I don't want you to leave me just because I'm protective sometimes or seem like I care too much," he finished. The music seemed to liven up the air around them, but Sora still had that hurt look on her face. Tai waited for her to respond, but she said nothing. "Say something, Sora." Sora just shook her head, let go of Tai, and turned around. He was horrified. Yet again, another voice of wisdom rang through his head. "_She's the best girl you'll ever meet, Tai." _The one and only Yamato Ishida had said that. Then, another voice rang through his head. "_She's a great person, Tai. Don't ever let her go_." Even Izzy had known how much Sora was worth. 'Why did I have to be so stupid!?_' _Tai asked himself, but of course the answer was unknown to him. Tai reached out and put a hand on Sora's shoulder, who seemed to cringe under his touch. '_Dear God, she IS fragile inside... What have I done to her?'_ He pulled her around so she could face him. She was crying silently, her face in her hands. Her hair draped her face in a way that he couldn't see it, but it was obvious that she was crying because the sobs were racking her body. Tai vaguely noticed that the slow dance song was still going. There were couples making out all around them, but that wasn't what Tai was after. He wanted Sora's heart to be his forever, but he knew that he had to treat her right first. "I'm sorry, So-"

"God, Tai. If you don't know how much I love you by now, will you ever?" she asked, her head still buried in her hands. Tai thought that someone had stabbed him in the heart.

"It was stupid of me to say, Sora." She looked up at him, the tears falling down her cheeks, but except for that, you couldn't have told that she had been crying. 

"No. Maybe I haven't been showing you how much I love you." Tai felt that knife penetrate his ribs and jab into his heart yet again.

"Yes, you have, Sora."

"Then why would you have said something like that?" A perfectly valid point. How could he justify himself?

"I don't know. If one of us should be questioning the other's love, it should be you asking me." Sora wiped the tears from her face with a shaky hand.

"Why is that?" Tai sighed.

"Because I could have..." he looked around him. The music was gradually getting softer; a sign that they weren't supposed to be out there much longer. "Come with me." He grabbed her hand and they left the hormone driven teenagers making out on the floor, trying to find a better place to talk than where they were.

*********************************************************************************************

On the other side of the dance floor, Mimi was anxiously awaiting Izzy's arrival to dance with her. That had been the longest slow song yet, the one that Mimi had hoped to dance with him on. The song ended with the distortion of a guitar. A guy and a girl, who had gone as far as you go standing up during the last song, yelled for another one to be played. Mimi couldn't see who was playing the music, but without missing a beat, another slow song started to play. 

"Come _on_, Izzy," Mimi said to herself, wishing that he would hurry and live up to his word. There was a tap on her shoulder and she whirled around to meet dark brown eyes.

"You were waiting for me?" Izzy asked. Mimi smiled brilliantly. 

"Well, actually, I was," she said happily. Izzy smiled back. 

"I promised to dance with you... Do you still accept?" he asked, holding out a hand to her. Mimi sighed dreamily. '_It's like he's a knight in shining armor... a fairy tale...'_

"Of course, kind sir," she said, restraining herself from giggling. Izzy's smile widened. '_He is a lot cuter than he used to be... maybe I like him....'_ She put out a hand in front of her and let Izzy take it, but was surprised when he leaned forward and kissed her hand gently, sending shivers up and down her spine. '_It's official... you're head over heels for him...'_ Izzy led her out to the middle of the room and wrapped his hand around her waist, sending shivers up and down both of their spines. Mimi wrapped her hands around his neck. As the song went on, neither of them noticed that they had drawn very close to each other. They both had dreamy smiles on their faces. Izzy knew that, just like Mimi, he had fallen head over heels for her. Both of them felt like something had clicked between them, and they never wanted the dream to stop.

*********************************************************************************************

"Finally," Kari said, grateful to see light as they entered another room. T.K. sighed.

"Yep. Now what do we do?" Kari shrugged.

"Well, for one thing, I don't want to go near any of those high school boys. After the way they treated Jun, I can only imagine what a hay day they'll have with me," she said, her voice a little saddened. T.K. squeezed her hand for encouragement.

"I'll be here to protect you," he said proudly. Kari couldn't help but laugh.

"I dunno, T.K. Some of those guys looked like they eat kids like you for lunch," she said, still laughing. T.K. stuck his tongue out at her playfully, but soon joined in her laughter.

"Maybe we should go find Tai and the others. You seem like you want to go home," he said after he stopped laughing. Kari sighed deeply.

"Well, I kind of do. I just don't feel comfortable around these older guys. I'm sorry, T.K. I wanted you to have fun," she said, trying to apologize. T.K. waved off her apology.

"It's okay. You're right about them being stronger than me. I don't want anything to happen to you. Ever." Kari smiled.

"Thanks. Let's go find the others, kay?" T.K. nodded, and off they went again, hand in hand, falling deeper in love with the other as each second ticked by.

*********************************************************************************************

"Let's get out of here, Jun. I've got to find Tai." Jun looked at Matt curiously as he got up from the table after he had _finally_ finished his sandwich.

"Why are you looking after Tai?" Matt felt his face go red. He didn't like to admit it, but he was baby sitting his best friend.

"Well, Kara was kind of eyeing Tai, and we're trying to keep an eye on him and Sora so that we can be sure nothing happens." Jun nodded agreeably.

"That's a good idea. Just be sure to keep Tai away from her. She'll do _anything_ to get into bed with him, and there's plenty of bedrooms around here to do it in," she said. Matt nodded.

"I need to find him right away, though. They headed toward the music, so I'm guessing that's where they are." He started out of the kitchen but then turned around to Jun, smiling nervously, running his hands through his hair. "Um... which way do I go?" he asked sheepishly. Jun smiled and laughed lightly.

"I know. It's like a maze, isn't it? Follow me," she said, and walked by him. He followed reluctantly, hoping that Tai could stall any plans he had with someone besides Sora until he could get there. Matt felt ashamed that hardly any of the digidestined had faith in Tai and Sora's relationship, but Tai had been known to make stupid decisions, and this wasn't a time for broken hearts for either him or Sora.

********************************************************************************************* 

"....And that's why I'm going to Odaiba now," the girl finished just as the second slow song ended. Joe rolled his eyes, let go of the girl, and gingerly wiped the front of his shirt, as if removing any germs the girl could have given to him.

"That's nice." He suddenly remembered that he was supposed to be watching Sora. He began to look around the room, trying to find a familiar face. He finally spotted Izzy and Mimi still dancing together, their foreheads pressed together in a loving matter. Joe smiled slightly at the sight. He once had a crush on Mimi, just as Tai had so long ago, but had realized at about the same time that Mimi wasn't the girl for him. He just wondered now how Yolei would take the news of the newfound couple, being that Izzy was _her_ man and all. Joe parted the people like Moses and the Red Sea, finally making it to the two sixteen year olds. "Ahem." Izzy and Mimi broke apart immediately and began to blush simultaneously.

"Uh, hi, Joe!" Mimi said a little bit too cheerfully. Joe smiled wryly.

"Hi, Mimi. Hi Izzy. I'm not going to tease you, so stop putting on the act." Izzy and Mimi both let out a sigh of relief. "I was just wondering if you two knew where Sora and Tai were." Mimi gasped.

"Oh no! I forgot to watch her. I could have _sworn_ that they were dancing together right here!" she exclaimed. Izzy put a hand on her shoulder, causing them both to blush like mad.

"Maybe someone else saw them. We should ask around," he said calmly, but he actually felt anything _but_ calm with his hand on her, so he quickly removed his hand and shoved it into his pocket. Mimi's expression became downcast. She had liked the feeling of Izzy's hand on her shoulder. It was a comforting, reassuring feeling.

"Izzy's right. HEY YOU!" Joe shouted suddenly, making Mimi and Izzy lose any train of though they had. A guy turned and looked at Joe.

"You talking to me?" he yelled over the music, which was now upbeat. Joe nodded.

"Have you seen a guy and a girl here who were just dancing?" he asked, stepping closer to the guy so he could hear him without yelling. The guy snorted laughter.

"Well, if you haven't noticed, there's a lot of them." Joe felt himself glow bright red, but tried to continue.

"Well, this _guy_ has big brown hair and is about 5'10" or so. The _girl_ is really, really pretty and has auburn hair the color of fire and one of a kind crimson eyes. Her skin is as white as snow and she has a really nice figure. She's about 5'7" or 5'8"," Joe finished. The guy nodded almost immediately.

"Yeah, I now who you're talking about. That guy you were talking about was with her. They were dancing together, but I guess he said something bad to her 'cause she started cryin'. They started to talk, but the guy dragged her out of here. They went that way, if you're lookin' for 'em," the guy said, pointing down a hall to his left.

"Thanks," Joe said and turned around to Izzy and Mimi, whose jaws were practically on the floor. "What?" he asked, genuinely confused. 

"How can you describe Sora like that, Joe? Do you like her?" Mimi asked skeptically. Joe sighed heavily.

"I used to. Sora's my best friend. I love her to death, so it's only logical that I can describe her." Izzy raised an eyebrow.

"I can understand that, but auburn hair the color of _fire?_ She's got one of a kind crimson eyes? Skin as white as _snow?_ Only Tai's supposed to describe her like that. You're not only in love with her, you're _infatuated_ with her!" Izzy ranted. Joe rolled his eyes.

"No, I'm not. Lemme ask you this. Did I _lie_ when I described her?" he asked, turning the interrogation tables on Izzy. Mimi looked at him with knit eyebrows.

"Yeah, _Izzy_. Was he lying?" Izzy gulped and paused before he said anything.

"Well, honestly, he wasn't. Her hair _is_ the color of fire, and her skin _is _as white as snow. And I have to admit, crimson isn't a natural color for eyes," he said, expecting to get slapped when he finished. Instead, Mimi just smiled.

"I'm glad you were honest with me, Izzy," she said. She suddenly leaned forward, kissed Izzy on the cheek, and began to walk down the hall Sora and Tai were fabled to have traveled down. "Come on. We have to find those two, with or without Matt." Joe nodded and turned to Izzy to tell him to hurry. Izzy had a dreamy look on his face with a hand plastered to his cheek. 

"Come on, Casanova. Let's get going," Joe said with a laugh. Soon they were off, trying to find their best friends in the giant maze that Kara Ishya's family dared to call a house.

**********************************************************************************************

Tai stopped dead in his tracks. This was a good room to stop in. It had double glass doors that revealed a starry night and a full moon shining down. There was a couch in the middle of it, but there was no other furniture. Best of all, there were no other teenagers there to spoil it. Tai smiled and turned around to face Sora, whose face now had confusion mixed in with hurt. 

"This is a nice room..." Tai said slowly. Sora jerked her hand out of Tai's grip. 

"Why should I be questioning your love for me? Stop stalling and tell me what's wrong!" she exclaimed, her eyes becoming glassy in the pale moonlight, her voice shaky from fighting tears. Tai closed his eyes and opened them again, hoping Sora could see that he was sorry.

"I didn't mean it like that. It's just-"

"Then what the hell did you mean?" Uh oh. She was mad and Tai knew he had some explaining to do.

"I feel like that I love you so much that I'm pushing you away, I guess." Sora's expression softened, but she was still hurt beyond words. There was silence between them.

"Why did you say that you weren't sure I loved you?" Tai waved his hands.

"I said that I wasn't sure that you loved me that _much_," he corrected. 

"Same thing to me," she said sharply, not missing a beat. Tai swallowed.

"It's _not_ the same thing. I'm really sorry that I said that because I know that it's not true. I want someone to love me more than life itself. I guess some stupid part of me was just trying to make sure it was you, but I knew that all along." Sora's expression softened even more. At that moment, Tai saw how much he had really hurt her. T.K. was right; she was very, very fragile. Tai had probably been one step from breaking her into a million pieces. Sora took a step forward until she was close enough to kiss him. This was what Tai expected, but not what Sora did. She rested her head against Tai's chest to where she was staring at the ground. Her auburn hair, which was the color of fire as Joe had correctly said, draped around her face in a way that drove Tai crazy.

"Before you dragged me away, you said that I should be questioning your love for me." Tai almost said something, but Sora looked up at him and put a finger on his lips. ""Let me finish. I listened to what you, but now you need to listen to me." Tai nodded hesitantly, like a four year old accepting a scolding from his mother. Sora attempted to smile at him, to ease the tension, but her facial expression didn't change. "I asked you why, and you...." She dragged in a shaky breath. Tai pulled her closer to him, which was barely possible. She could feel his chest rising and lowering, steady as the tide. He could feel her heartbeat, which was like the gentle beat of drums, beating a lovely serenade into his mind. He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. She finally managed a half-smile, but Tai's face remained grim. She willed herself to keep going. "You didn't get to finish what you were saying. I want to know what you were going to say." Tai took a deep breath, breaking the rhythm of the tide.

"Because I could have given you what you really wanted for Christmas, and I didn't. I could have given you the ultimate gift, but I was too scared." Sora sighed shakily. 

"This is my fault. I shouldn't have done this to you. I'm sorry, Tai. _I'm_ the one who's pushing the other away. I'm sorry." Her eyes showed how much she wanted his forgiveness. It was the same look Tai had given her when he had been in her bed the night before. She wanted him in a way that wasn't physically possible, but she also wanted his forgiveness for pressuring him.

"Shh, Sora. Don't be angry with yourself. We're both guilty _and_ innocent, remember?" He smiled at her and then kissed her forehead. She snuggled close to him. She wanted him more than ever right now, and he wanted her, but they didn't want a repeat of last night's events. They could feel how much they wanted each other; how much they _needed _each other, but they both knew the time wasn't right.

"One more question, Tai." He took a deep breath, pulled away from her, and looked her in the eye. Those crimson eyes that drove him crazy, although, his chocolate brown ones were enough to drive Sora up the wall with pleasure.

"Yes. You can ask me anything," he assured. Sora smiled. Tai was sweet.... in his own way. Her smile disappeared when she remembered her question. 

"Why couldn't you sleep with me last night?" Tai felt his heart jump into his throat. She had to ask that. Tai swallowed hard and slowly took a deep breath.

"Why couldn't I make love to you, you mean?" Sora's face turned a red that matched her hair.

"I guess... that's what I meant. Why couldn't you..." She couldn't finish. She turned her head to the side and closed her eyes. "...make love to me?" She thought she was going to choke on her words. Tai smiled, took her chin in his hand, and made her face him. Her eyes switched back and forth against Tai's, as if she was searching his soul for the answer, but she couldn't see anything. Meanwhile, Tai was hoping she didn't find what she was looking for. He closed his eyes, as if something painful came to memory. He couldn't believe what he was going to say.

"Because I didn't want you to get pregnant. I would stay with you, but I don't want life to be harder than it already is, especially for you." Sora smiled.

"Thank you for caring, but is that all?" Tai gulped. He hadn't lied so far, but it looked like he might have to.

"Religious reasons." Sora nodded, as if accepting this for the whole truth, but she seemed hesitant. _'Please don't make me lie to you, Sora. I love you too much. Please don't make me lie to you,' _Tai thought helplessly. She knit her brow, signaling to Tai that his silent pleas had gone unheeded.

"Are you sure that's it? I mean, you were scared last night, and the reasons you gave me aren't the ones that make you scared like that. I know you wouldn't lie to me, so just tell me the truth. Are you sure that's why you were so scared?" she asked. Tai swallowed hard. The pale moonlight lit up Sora's white face brilliantly. Her innocence seemed to be highlighted in her features. Tai couldn't break her heart. He couldn't tell her the other reason, could he? What _was_ the other reason? The _main_ other reason? '_I couldn't take your innocence away. It was the ultimate gift. You're pure, but if I had taken you in, that would have been destroyed. I would have disappointed you. You're first time would have been terrible_ _and you would leave me. That's the whole reason, actually two reasons. I couldn't take your innocence and I would disappoint you because you deserve so much better than me. Do you want me to tell you that? Do you, Sora? _But, of course, Tai couldn't tell her that. He couldn't afford to break her heart anymore.

"That's it," he said finally. Sora smiled.

"Good. I knew you would tell me the truth." Tai turned his head away from her and closed his eyes. '_But I didn't, Sora.' _"Something wrong?"

"No." _You've lied to her twice, Taichi. Twice._

"Oh, okay." Just then, footsteps echoed from the hallway.

"The Calvary has arrived!" Joe shouted. Tai rolled his eyes, but Sora giggled.

"Hi, Joe! Hey, Izzy! Where's-"

"You guys were supposed to _wait_ for me, not leave me in your dust!" Mimi said irritably, finally coming into view.

"-Mimi," Sora finished. Tai laughed.

"Hey, Mimi. I'm guessing you guys were looking for us, huh?" Tai asked. Joe nodded.

"Yeah. There weren't any good girls to dance with," he said sullenly. Sora laughed.

"If it means that much, I'll dance with you." Joe's face seemed to brighten immediately.

"Really, Sora?" Sora thought it rather odd that Joe actually seemed _excited_ to dance with her.

"Yeah, if it's all right with Tai." 

"Fine with me, as long as you don't try anything, Joe," Tai said in a mock threat. Joe laughed.

"Never would I dream of such a thing," he said. Sora nodded.

"Good. I don't want to have to hurt you or anything," she said with a smile. 

"Shall we go back? I kind of had someone I wanted to dance with," Izzy said, glancing at Mimi, who couldn't help but smile. Sora and Tai lifted their eyebrows simultaneously.

"Is... _something_ going on here that we should know about?" Tai asked. Izzy and Mimi both shook their heads furiously, but Joe rolled his eyes.

"They like each other." Both Izzy and Mimi glared at Joe. "What? They needed to know. They would have found out, anyway," he said. Sora's face showed her excitement.

"That's great, Mimi! Maybe we should head back," she said, winking at Izzy, who immediately started blushing in the moonlight. Mimi laughed.

"Yes, we should," she said, and they all headed back to the party. Mimi dropped back to Sora, who was holding hands with Tai. "Are you okay, Sora?" Sora looked confused.

"What do you mean?"

"A guy at the party said that you'd been crying." Sora's face changed from confusion to embarrassment.

"Oh. I'm okay."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Absolutely sure?"

"Absolutely sure."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Good, 'cause I'm your best friend and you'd tell me if something was wrong... right?" Sora laughed at Mimi's annoying concern.

"Right." Mimi sighed.

"Just making sure. By the way, I think Joe likes you." Sora seemed startled.

"Hmmm?"

"He described you to this guy like you were his girlfriend. Your hair is the color of fire, etcetera, etcetera." Sora laughed.

"I'd hardly say that means he likes me."

"True, but he said he loves you to death."

"As a friend."

"Maybe you're right, but you never know." With that, Mimi went to the front of the crowd of digidestined to walk side by side with Izzy.

**********************************************************************************************

"'Hurry, Jun. If what you said about Kara's true, I need to keep a close eye on Tai," Matt said. Jun sighed.

"Sorry, Matt. It's not my fault you're slow," she said sullenly. Matt snorted laughter.

"HA! _You're _the one that's slow!" he retorted childishly, stopping and crossing his arms. Jun laughed, infuriating Matt beyond words. "What are _you _laughing at?"

"You look like a little kid," she said with a smile, obviously holding back laughter. Matt tried not to reveal his hurt pride. Jun rolled her eyes. "Come on," she said, suddenly grabbing his hand. Matt felt like he should yell at her not to touch him anymore, but there was something awfully... _comforting_ about her touch, so all he did was maintain a scowl on his face as Jun dragged him to where he thought people were dancing.

**********************************************************************************************

"We're here, Tai," Sora said to him. He nodded as they stepped out into the very, very dimly lit room. There was another slow song playing. Sora and Tai listened to hear what the song was, but were quickly embarrassed when they realized what it was.

_And I don't want to come back down from this cloud_

_Taken me all this time to find out what I need_

_And I don't want to come back down from this cloud_

_Taken me all this, all this time_

Joe turned around to take Sora's hand and dance with her, but quickly became confused, along with Izzy and Mimi, to see the two blushing furiously.

"This is an older song, but it's nice. Don't you think so, Sora?" Mimi asked, not sure if she would get an answer from the tomato red teenager.

"Um... yeah, it is," she said softly. Joe held out a hand to Sora, who looked at Tai. He nodded his approval. Sora took Joe's hand and twirled out onto the dance floor. Izzy and Mimi soon joined them. Joe had Sora's hand in one of his and his other hand around her waist. Sora copied this. They looked like two senior citizens; mostly because of Joe's two left feet. "Okay, Joe. If I'm going to dance with you, you're going to have to do it right. Just sway with the music," she told him. Joe blushed, embarrassed at his inability for dancing. Finally, he and Sora were in synch. 

"You're a good dancer, Sora," he whispered. Sora smiled and said thank you. 

"Um, Joe?"

"Hmm?"

"Hair the color of fire?" Joe laughed.

"This is about me describing you, isn't it?" Sora nodded. He laughed again. "I don't have a crush on you, Sora. I was just trying to find out where you were. I love you to death because you're my best friend. Don't think that I just sit by and don't look at you. You're beautiful, Sora, and you deserve to be described that way. I was just telling the truth." Sora blushed brilliantly. Tai looked on with a smile. She was so beautiful out there, and to think, she was going to be his wife. Suddenly, a girl ran up to Tai with a weird grin on her face.

"Are you Taichi Kamiya?" she asked, her perkiness almost making Tai feel nauseated.

"Yeah."

"Oh... my... gosh! Can I have your autograph?" she asked. Sora looked on nervously. She could hear what was being said, but she wasn't sure that Tai's autograph was what she was really after. The notion in her mind became stronger when she saw two more girls come up behind her.

"Uh, yeah. I guess so," he said, rather confused. The girl squealed in delight.

"Great! I'm going to get the captain of the soccer team's autograph! How cool!" she shrieked. Tai laughed, but wasn't so sure that she was being sincere. She seemed to be acting, but how was he to know? No one had ever asked him for his autograph. "Come this way!" she said, grabbing his hand. He glanced at Sora helplessly, who couldn't help but laugh. The girl started to drag Tai away, the two other pushing him. Sora smiled, but she felt very, very nervous, but didn't know why. She sighed and rested her head on Joe's chest, who took in a sharp breath when she got closer to him. _'I don't like her... do I?'_ he thought, but quickly pushed it away. This was his best friend's fiancee! He couldn't like her. In truth, Joe just thought that she was a great friend, but what Mimi and Izzy had said had unjustly caused him to question himself. Meanwhile, Sora became even more nervous, wondering if her premonitions were right.

**********************************************************************************************

Pretty soon, Jun and Matt were running everywhere, laughing flirtatiously. There were a few girls who almost fainted at the sight of _the_ Yamato Ishida, but were very angry to see Jun, of all people, with him. Matt was actually having fun with Jun, not that he would have actually admitted it. She was having fun with him-that went without saying. He was a really nice guy once she got to know him, but she knew it would be a long, _long_ time before Matt revealed what was going on behind those dreamy blue eyes. Jun wasn't sure that Matt's best friends even knew everything about him.

"All right, Jun! I think you've led us in circles!" he said in mock anger, but couldn't help but laugh. Jun laughed with him.

"Sorry, I guess I got carried away," she said apologetically. Matt waved it off with his free hand.

"No biggie," he said. Jun noticed his grip on her hand had gotten tighter and she smiled brightly. She looked from their hands to Matt's eyes, who automatically met the gaze. His free hand now hung limply at his side. He was captivated by her. Yes, Jun _did_ come on a little strong, okay, maybe REALLY strong, but she was quite a nice person once he got to know her. Yes, their first time to go to a restaurant together had been, why sugar coat it, awful. That had been when Matt was determined to hate her, but now, being older and wiser, he realized that maybe hating her had opened up the gateway to, possibly, loving her?

"Wow, Matt. You really got to know her, I see," a familiar girl's voice said. Matt broke the romantic stare that he and Jun had shared, snapping him back to reality. Matt looked to his side to see Kari with one hand on her hip and the other holding T.K.'s hand. Matt blushed immediately and dropped Jun's hand. Jun's expression went from dreamy to downcast, and Matt noticed this, feeling ashamed of himself. Was he going to act like he didn't know her every time someone came around?

"She was just showing me the way to the music, that's all," he said, trying to reassure himself more than Tai's skeptical sister. T.K. smiled.

"We believe you," he said, but his tone suggested the opposite.

"We were looking for Tai," Kari said to Jun.

"Matt was looking for Tai, too. Something about he had to watch him," Jun said, but her voice had lost all of its cheerful tone. She sounded disappointed, sad, and the worst to Matt, she sounded hurt. Kari and T.K. noticed this, too. Kari whispered something to T.K. who nodded in response.

"What about baby sitting my brother?" Kari said, acting as if nothing had happened. Matt poured out word for word what Jun had said about Kara and his discussion with Mimi, Izzy, and Joe. T.K. almost had to hold Kari back from her sudden rage. "I'll tear Kara apart if she touches my brother or Sora," she growled. Matt put up his hands in a cross.

"Down, girl, down! If we find Tai and Sora, we can warn them, so let's get going," he told her. Finally, she calmed down and they began on their way. 

"It's this way," Jun said, her voice emotionless. Matt felt like he had been kicked. '_Why do I always have to be such a jerk?'_ Kari and T.K. unlatched from each other and began to walk again, Kari with Jun and T.K. with his brother. Kari saw how hurt Jun was. Her eyes showed how much she wanted to cry. Kari felt so sorry for her, but hopefully, T.K. could change how Matt was treating her.

"You've got to stop hurting her, Matt. Let her get close to you," T.K. whispered as they followed the two girls. This made Matt mad.

"I don't want anyone to get close to me!" he hissed angrily. T.K. put a hand on his shoulder in a calming gesture.

"Maybe you should. I let Kari know all about me. She's the best thing that ever happened to me. Brother, I'd let her search me inside and out if I could because I love and trust her." Kari smiled. She had overheard everything so far, and was very pleased with what she had heard. "I don't know if you trust me-"

"I trust you."

"Well, maybe you should let yourself trust someone else."

"I trust Tai! And Joe and Izzy!"

"That's not the same thing. I mean a girl, Matt."

"I trust Sora, Mimi, and Kari."

"A girl you can love."

"I love Sora, Mimi, and Kari! I care about them more than anything." T.K. sighed in exasperation.

"I meant a girl that you could marry. A girl that you depend on. A girl that you would feel incomplete without. I feel that way about Kari." Kari's smile widened. Matt sighed in defeat. Kari looked at Jun, who was obviously listening judging by the pleading look on her face.

"I do feel alone. Empty, even. But that does _not_ mean Jun is the person to make me... _complete_," he said sullenly. T.K. shrugged.

"No, it doesn't, but don't you agree there's a possibility she _is_?" Matt looked from the floor in front of him to his brother's sincere eyes and stopped walking. T.K. stood still, staring back into his brother's eyes.

"We're here," Jun said suddenly. Kari beckoned T.K. He looked at Kari and back to Matt.

"Good luck, brother," T.K. whispered and walked off with Kari, leaving Matt and Jun alone. Matt continued to stare at the space in front of him.

"I.. don't know if I'm the one that you'll marry, Matt. Probably not, but at least let me be your friend," Jun said softly. Matt looked at her and smiled, but didn't say anything. "Um.. I'll go find Tai, I guess." She turned around but was surprised when a hand was laid on her shoulder. It was a tough hand, calloused by hours and hours of guitar practice, but it also had a soft feel to it. As if just his touch said '_Everything's going to be all right.'_

"Wait, Jun." She turned around to look at Matt. She was just an inch or two smaller than he was. Suddenly, Matt leaned forward and kissed Jun on the lips. It was a lingering kiss. It seemed neither of them wanted to break it. Jun immediately felt dizzy, and Matt felt different. He had kissed a lot of girls before, but this was different. It had _meaning._ Jun looked up and gasped in surprise.

"No mistletoe," she said, pointing upward. Matt smiled.

"I know." With that, he took her hand and they walked onto the dance floor together. Soon, they both spotted Joe, Mimi, Sora, and Izzy, but unfortunately, no Tai.

"Sora! Sora!" Matt yelled, running toward her, Jun's hand in his. Sora lifted her head from Joe's chest and smiled when she saw Jun and Matt holding hands.

"Hey, Matt! What's wrong?" she asked, seeing the sudden worry on his face.

"Where's Tai?" 

"Some girl asked him for an autograph. She was really ditzy," she said with a slight smile. Jun covered her mouth with her free hand.

"Oh, no..."

"What is it, Jun?" Kari asked, walking up from behind with T.K. at her side.

"Kara was talking about how she was going to get Tai into bed with her, and she said something about sending someone out to get him... I forgot how, but asking for his autograph seems like it would be one of her ideas," she said hurriedly. Realization, sadness, worry, and rage hit Sora all at once like a brick.

"I knew it! Great! I can't believe this is happening," she exclaimed, pulling her hair. Mimi put her hands on Sora's shoulders.

"Calm down, girl. We can still help Tai. He won't do anything because he loves you, remember? But just in case, let's go find him," she said. Sora nodded. Tai loved her more than anything, but then why was she so worried?

"Come on. I know where Kara's room is, and I bet that's the first place we should look," Jun said. They all nodded and followed her down a hall. Sora's heart raced, hoping that Tai did love her enough not to do anything stupid.

**********************************************************************************************

"Um, did I have to come all this way just to give you my autograph?" Tai asked, confused. The girls giggled.

"Yeah, you did. Here's my stuff. You can come in if you want," the girl that first came up to him said. Tai was beginning to get suspicious, but he knew he shouldn't judge. The girl let him go in the room before her. He stepped inside, but was surprised when the door shut behind him. 

"What the heck is going on here?" he asked irritably. The room he was in was lit up in dim light. There was soft music playing. 

"What do you think is going on, Tai?" He squinted, trying to see who had said that.

"I'm only Tai to my friends. Where are you? Let me out of here!" he yelled, but the door knob was locked. He was stuck here.

"I'm going to be the best friend you ever had in a little bit." Tai tried to make out what was in the room and felt a lump in his throat. This was a bedroom, no doubt about it. He could make out a slight outline of a bed, and there was a figure on it.

"I... want... out... NOW!" he roared. The girl just giggled.

"What if I don't let you out?"

"Look, I love Sora with all my heart, and I will never _ever_ cheat on her, so you can just forget it!" He heard the bed creak as the person that was on it got up. The lump in Tai's throat seemed to get wider so he couldn't breathe.

"Who said she had to know? She's ugly, anyway. I saw the way you were looking at me. You want me, Tai."

"The hell I do! Sora is the most beautiful being God ever created! Sora is my girl! I love _her_, not you! You're that Kara girl, aren't you?" There was a cackle of laughter.

"Yeah, that's me. You don't have to love me, Tai. You just have to sleep with me."

"HELL NO!" he yelled, and began to bang on the door with all his might. "SORA!!!" He felt someone gently caress his back. He whirled around to meet ice blue eyes. He gulped. She was naked. The lights didn't have to be on for him to know that. She pressed herself against him. All Tai wanted to do was push her away, but he knew he couldn't never live with himself if he touched her.

"You know you want me," she whispered. She made Tai look her in the eye. He looked deep into her eyes and saw something that he hadn't ever seen before in Sora's.

He couldn't see any love in her eyes.

He definitely couldn't see any trust.

And what got him most of all, there was no innocence.

"No, I don't," he said, but this time he wasn't as strong of voice.

"Yes, you do," she whispered, and began to caress his chest. Tai was losing it. '_Fight her, Tai! She's winning! Dear God! You'll lose Sora if you do this, you idiot! Don't do this! You love SORA!!!'_

"No... No! NO! I don't want you!" he screamed again. Kara smiled.

"You don't seem to sure of yourself, Tai," she whispered. Tai was about to tell her to address him as Taichi when she kissed him. He began to pull away, but she put her arms around his neck and pressed her into him. He fought back, but she kept deepening the kiss. Already, he had gone as far with Kara as it had taken him and Sora 15 years. Finally, he managed to pry her hands out from around his neck.

"Stop it! Stop it, now!" She didn't do as he said. She just went for his belt buckle, making Tai extremely nervous. "I said STOP IT!" Still she didn't listen. 

"If you really wanted me to stop, you would have already fought back," she whispered seductively. Tai felt extremely confused. He was supposed to fight back! But why wasn't he? Then a voice came into his head. An evil voice.

_If you're so afraid you'll disappoint Sora, then you should get some practice._

That couldn't be his own mind, could it? He couldn't think like that.

_There's no innocence in Kara's eyes. You saw that. Why don't you go ahead?_

This couldn't be happening. Kara already had Tai's belt unbuckled and was beginning to unzip the fly.

_You can pretend it's Sora. Kara won't care. She wants you, Tai. She wants your body._

Tai's pants fell down to his ankles. Kara stared at him with a hungry look.

"Well, you're almost the way I want you," she said seductively. Tai swallowed.

_You can scream out Sora's name... Kara won't care. You won't disappoint Sora anymore. You can make her first time be the best ever. She'll never know about Kara and you._

Tai closed his eyes. '_I can't do this!'_ But despite his conscience's desperate argument with something much colder and much more evil, Tai stepped out of his pants.

"That's more like it. I knew you wanted this," Kara whispered. Tai looked at her, his eyes turning from caring and loving to cold and inconsiderate.

"Let's get this over with." Kara almost squealed with delight. Tai felt the guilt bearing down on him. '_You're hurting Sora... She may not know it, but you're hurting her more than you will ever know. You're doing this for your own benefit, not hers.' _The truth in his conscience's statement was almost unbearable. '_You were right... she should be questioning your love for her...' _Yet again, the truth echoed through his head, but still, he figured he come too far to turn back. He pulled his sweater over his head and looked at Kara for a second. She was pretty, in a prep-ish sort of way. Sora was down to earth pretty. Sora was so much better than this. Kara took Tai's hand and he reluctantly stepped forward. She began to stroke his chest. Tai closed his eyes painfully as he wrapped his arms around Kara and began to kiss her. He finally let his tongue roam her mouth. She kissed him back, but her kiss to him felt like it was practiced. That it had taken many, many guys to make her this good of a kisser. He tried deepening the kiss. He began to feel her body. '_It's just Sora... It's just Sora..._' he kept thinking, but no lie could justify what he was doing. He deepened the kiss yet again and laid her down on the bed.

"You're forgetting something," she panted as she broke the kiss for air. Tai knew she was talking about his boxers. '_You can still turn back, Tai!!!'_

******************************************************************************************************

"Let me through!" Sora cried. Three girls were guarding Kara's door like Fort Knox. Mimi pushed her way through the crowd of digidestined and stopped right in front of one of the girls.

"This is one time that I _will_ submit to being a tomboy!" she yelled as she threw a punch and hit the closest girl in the face. The other two quickly kneeled beside her.

"Thanks, Mimi!" Sora said as she began to work on the door. She threw it open and turned on the light. "I'm here, Tai! Are you o-" She stopped mid-sentence and let her jaw hang wide open.

There was Tai laying on top of Kara, who was naked, in nothing but his boxers, but Sora could clearly see that Kara had her thumb wedged into the elastic band, so those wouldn't have been on him long, either. Tai felt his face go red. Sora closed her mouth and just stared. Tai stared back, his eyes full of remorse and regret. '_WHAT HAVE I DONE?!?!' _Not even two seconds later, the rest of the digidestined piled into the room, just to be met by the sight on Kara's bed.

"_Tai???_" Kari said, her voice shaky. Her brother wasn't this stupid! He wouldn't hurt anybody like this! This couldn't be Taichi Kamiya! The brother who had just announced his engagement today! It _couldn't _be! T.K. saw Kari start to shake and hugged her close, but not without glaring at Tai, who stood up to reveal Kara's naked body on the bed. She quickly wrapped a blanket around herself, but not without all of the guys being able to catch a peak at her body. Her body was now a symbol of lust in all of their minds.

"How could you do this, Tai? My God!" Matt exclaimed, bewildered by the whole circumstance. Jun, who was still holding Matt's hand, glared at Kara.

"This time you have gone _too _far, Kara. That is Sora's fiancee`, you slut," she scolded. Everyone nodded in agreement except for Sora, who shook her head.

"No. _Was_ my fiancee`." Everyone gasped, even Tai.

"No, Sora! I can explain! See, I-"

"Save it, Tai. You told me you loved me. You told me so many things, and they're all lies." Everyone expected her to burst into tears, but Sora couldn't cry. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't cry. She was too mad, too upset, too sad, and too devastated to cry.

"No, they're not, Sora! I swear I love you!" Tears began to run down his cheeks. He was really and truly sorry for what he had done, but it was too late. Sora no longer fell for his tears.

"Really? You don't show it very well." With that, she turned around to see the surprised and bewildered faces of all her friends. They all looked at her with despair in their eyes.

"I'm sorry, Sora. We all are," Izzy said quietly. They all nodded.

"We could have stopped this, Sora. It's all our fault," Joe whispered. Sora walked up to Joe and kissed him on the cheek.

"No, it's not. If.." It even hurt to say his name now. "If _he_ wanted her, then no one could have stopped him." Joe tried to smile at her. Matt looked at Sora and then to Jun, who knew what he was thinking and nodded. He looked back to Sora and sighed heavily.

"Come here, kid," he whispered. She went over to Matt and hugged him forcefully. Sora finally felt the real pain of it all. Suddenly, the floodgates opened and she began to cry, cry harder than she ever had before.

"Let's get you out of here," T.K. whispered to her. Sora couldn't nod. The sobs were racking her body and she wasn't even sure if she could make words. Tai had cheated on her. It was obvious. He had told her he loved her. Promises never to be kept. T.K. led Kari out of the room, who was crying as well. Matt tried to lead Sora, but she was still too hysterical. She managed to turn her trembling body around with the help of Matt and Mimi and looked at Tai, whose brown eyes still almost drove Sora up the wall, but now it was with pain, not pleasure. She managed to get her hands to work for her and slipped off the engagement ring. Her fingers wouldn't work anymore, however, and she dropped the ring onto the floor. Mimi closed her eyes, feeling some of the pain Sora was, but knew it wasn't nearly as much. Joe signalled Matt to take her out of the room. Mimi and Jun followed behind, and Joe dead last. Tai quickly ran over to his clothes and began to get dressed.

"Where are you going? We can still do some things if you turn out the light," Kara said seductively. Tai turned around and looked at her with shocked surprise.

"Don't you _ever_ quit?! I just lost my fiancee, and you still want to have sex with me! I'm going to win her back, and I never, _ever_ want to see you again!" 

"Don't be so sure that you'll win her back, Tai_chi_." Tai stood still. Unfortunately, she was right. He closed his eyes as he remembered what had been said to him just earlier that day. 

_She's a great person, Tai. Don't ever let her go__._ Koushiro Izumi had said that. He even knew Sora was great.

_She's the best girl you'll ever meet, Tai. She's so kind and caring. If you hadn't of jumped at the chance to get her because you had loved her since you met her and if I hadn't of known since we were in the digital world that she loved you more than anything, I might have tried for her._ Oh, man, Matt. If you had her, she wouldn't be hurt because of me. You deserve her more than I do.

_I'd have to agree with Matt. I mean, Sora's one of the best people I have ever met, and I'm sure I will ever meet. Not to mention, she's a looker_. Joe, you were right all the way. 

_Don't do anything to hurt her. She's strong on the outside, but she's really fragile inside. Anything you do to her could make her shatter. Don't hurt her. I think that's from all of us. Take care of her, Tai. She needs you. Not everyone's love is strong enough to make wings that you can fly on, you know? Hey, take it from me. I've had personal experience. Try to think with your head on straight, okay?_If I had only listened to you, T.K. If I had only listened to you.

"Just in case, you can call me if you don't get her and I'll cheer you up," Kara said softly. Tai glared at her. 

"Shut-_up_." Tai bent down and pulled on his pants and hastily pulled on his sweater. He looked down on the ground for anything else he might have left. There on the ground lay Sora's engagement ring. The symbol of the rest of their lives together. It meant nothing now, all because of him.

He left the party soon after the other digidestined. The other digidestined felt that they needed to go to Sora's house to comfort her in her time of need. Tai only felt that he needed to go to one place.

Hell.

But then again, wasn't he already there?

**A/N: Oh, man. Tai's a real jerk, isn't he? Poor Sora. I feel so sorry for her. If I'm not beating up on Tai, it's her. I'm really sorry, you guys, but hey, it'll get better. I promise. Well, I did put a little bit more Takari in. What is *up* with Joe? Bet you didn't see that Junato coming, huh? Don't flame me about that, or I *will* take it personally. That Koumi was a little bit of a surprise, too. I'll *try* to make it up to you Yoshiro (is that right? Oh well, Izzy x Yolei) fans later on, but I won't promise that. Unlike Tai, I won't make promises that I'm not so sure I can keep. Well, hope you enjoyed this part. 15 reviews or more, kay? Maybe fourteen. You guys know the drill. **

  
  


**BY THE WAY: The next one (if there *is* a next one) will pick up with the digidestined going to Sora's house. There are going to be real shockers in the next one, so hurry up and review!**

**Until the possible (but probably unlikely because I have so much trouble getting reviews, good or bad) next time, cheerio!**

**Artisan of the Written Word****a.k.a.****The Writer**


	3. Endangering Forever Part 3

ENDANGERING FOREVER PART THREE

( How to Fly Part Ten, if you're wondering)

A/N: Thank you all for the reviews. I appreciate it very much. There are some of the reviewers that thought my review-hungry author's note was a little too much, I guess. Let me explain, please, why I was doing that.I enjoy writing with a passion. It has become an obsession, however, and I feel that if I'm not writing, I'm doing nothing important. When I ask for reviews like I did, that shows that I am in desperate need of praise. I've gone through my whole life (yeah, I know. A whopping thirteen years. Big deal, right?) trying to please my mother. I have had straight A's my whole life. I'm writing a book, so that maybe one day we will not have to be in debt to somebody. I become depressed very easily. I have so many things that plague my mind that writing is my escape. Now, I play basketball and softball, you know, all that good stuff, but that's just to keep my mind off everything else. When I write, I write to get all those feelings that softball and basketball don't cover out of my system. As a result of seeking praise from my mother (and ultimately love) I now seek praise more than I should. I do not look for it all the time, however, but writing is one of the fields that I look for it in. When someone gives me a good review, it makes me feel like what I do is _wanted_, not pushed away. When someone flames me, I deal with it with a mature frame of mind, because I believe that what people say can actually make what I do better. 

So, does that answer you, Lucky Ishida and Koneko Kamiya? I'm not being mean, but I want to explain my behavior so I can be understood. 

Oh, and to the person who signed in as Takera, I'm sure you're not the only one that thinks that way. Thank you for being honest.

DEDICATION: To anyone who has had or still has a broken heart. Your hearts will mend, my friends. They will mend.

DISCLAIMER: Go to part one if you want this.

WARNING: Well, if this isn't obvious. I'm not _even_ going to ask who doesn't know what's going on here. The only thing I need to warn you about is that I refer to Blind Love Parts 1-3 and How to Fly a lot in this one, so if you want to read them, paste this link in your browser and read them (it will take you to my author's page): 

http://www.fanfiction.net/index.fic?action=Directory-AuthorProfile&UserID=25724

If you don't want to do that, you might just want to go and read the poem Bleeding Heart (it's from Blind Love Part1) on my author's page because it is referred to in here, too.

All right. Go ahead and read everybody. Enjoy.

ENDANGERING FOREVER PART THREE

  
  


"Shh, Sora. Everything will be all right," Matt whispered. Sora was still crying uncontrollably. They only had a few more minutes before they reached Sora's house, but they all wondered if she could make it. She couldn't walk straight; Matt and Mimi had to hold her up. T.K. and Kari walked in front of them. Kari was still crying. It seemed nothing T.K. could say or do was going to get her to stop, which was about the way Sora was. Izzy, Joe, and Jun walked behind them, wondering if everything _would_ be all right again.

"No, it won't! He does that to me, and you're trying to tell me it'll be all right?!" Sora asked, trying to straighten up so she could yell at Matt, but couldn't bring herself to do it. Mimi patted her on the back.

"Come on, Sora. Calm down, n-"

"Calm _down??? _How can I calm _down_ when I just caught the man I'm in love with trying to sleep with another girl?!" Sora cried. Mimi sighed.

"Sora, he's not a man if he does that. I don't know what got into him, but he's still crazy about you, or he wouldn't have tried to apologize," she consoled. Sora just burst into more tears. Kari was trying to stop crying. She knew Sora was in more pain than she was.

"I'm sure that there's an explanation. You love him more than anything," Kari whispered. Sora looked up at the younger girl and forced a smile, but it didn't last long.

"So do you. He didn't just hurt me," she said, temporarily stopping the sobs so she could speak. Kari couldn't help but let the tears fall again. T.K. hugged her closely, tears welling up in his eyes. Sora looked on with glazed eyes, showing the tears were going to fall again any second. She and Tai used to be like that. When one of them cried, the other cried with them. T.K. and Kari had wanted to be in love like Tai and Sora. '_Apparently, they are MORE in love than we used to be' _she thought bitterly. Sora looked at Matt, whose face showed intense thought. He looked at her and smiled sadly.

"I'm sure everything will be okay, Sora. Something must have gotten into him," he said softly. Jun nodded.

"Kara has a way of doing things like this to people. Most of the guys she sleeps with have girlfriends or something. I suppose she didn't want to spare Tai," she said. Matt glared at her.

"Jun!"

"That's okay, Matt. She's only telling the truth. Don't be mad at her," Sora whispered. She was dimly aware that her tears had completely stopped. Matt looked back at Jun and sighed.

"I'm sorry, Jun."

"That's okay, Matt. I'm the one who should have been thinking about what I said," she said. Matt smiled at her, but then turned back to Sora, whom he had his arms wrapped protectively around her shoulders.

"We're almost to your place, Sora. Just hang on a bit, okay?" Sora nodded solemnly. 

"You want me to take you home, Kari?" T.K. asked suddenly. Kari looked up at him and saw his genuine concern, but knew that all of his concern wasn't for her.

"You want to go to Sora's, too, so why don't we go there first?" she asked. T.K. nodded.

"Whatever you say. We don't have to stay too long. You need to get home," he whispered. Kari's face turned into a scowl.

"I don't want to be anywhere near my brother tonight. I just might kill him," she growled. T.K. strained not to laugh.

"But you love your brother. I know you wouldn't do that. Although, some of us that _aren't_ related to Tai may want to kill him _for_ you," he said softly. Kari smiled at him.

"Let's wait to use desperate measures, T.K." He nodded.

"I guess we _could_ wait." Joe pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose and pointed in front of them to a familiar building.

"There's your apartment, Sora. Not too much longer now," he said from behind. Sora unglued her eyes from the sidewalk in front of her and looked up. There it was. Home. To think, she had been so upset to go here not even two months ago, but now, she could describe it as a sanctuary. She actually wanted to go home.

"You guys can let me go home alone, now. You all need to go home," she said. She unwrapped Matt's hands from around her shoulders and shrugged off Mimi's hand, which had been resting on her shoulder. Joe shook his head.

"No, Sora. We want to be there for you. If you do remember, we guys promised we'd always be there for you." Sora turned around and smiled at Joe.

"Yes, you did, but you have already been there for me. You guys need to go home," she said, her voice becoming stronger. '_Am I actually getting over Tai? Already?' _but the tears welling up in her eyes again proved the exact opposite. _'You loved him, Sora. You still love him. There is absolutely no way that you can get over him.'_

"Well, I disagree with you, Sora Takenouchi. We're going to go to your house, and we're all going to be there for you. I want to be there for you, too, even if I just met you," Jun said. Sora looked at Jun with a bewildered expression on her face.

"Well, I guess I can't stop you." Mimi smiled.

"You're damn right. I punched out a girl's lights for you. Sure, it felt good, but you still owe it to me to let me come over to your apartment!" Sora laughed. Outwardly, she was showing the signs of healing. On the inside, she was torn. She was broken. Shattered.

"All right. Let's get going." They all continued their journey silently. They got to her apartment within three minutes. Sora knocked on the door and was met by her mother's face.

"Home so soon? Is something wrong, Sora? You look like you've been crying," her mother asked worriedly. Sora couldn't hold it in anymore. She had put on so many faces, it was time that she showed her true one. She began to cry relentlessly.

"Mama!" she cried as she fell into her mother's arms. 

"Sora, honey! What's wrong?" Her mother looked behind her daughter to see the other teenagers, waiting for an invitation to come inside. Her mother freed a hand from around Sora and beckoned them to come inside. They all found seats on either the couch or just stood up in the Takenouchi living room. "What's wrong, Sora? Look at me and tell me what's wrong!" Sora took her head from her mother's shoulder and looked at her mother in the eye to see that she was scared. Ms. Takenouchi, strong as steel, was scared?

"T-t-t-tai, he-he-he.." but Sora couldn't finish. The pain was just too much. She twisted her shaking body free from her mother's loving embrace and ran up the stairs to her room, crying all the way. Ms. Takenouchi looked from her fleeing daughter to the other children.

"What happened here!?" she exclaimed. Everyone looked at each other, but finally Mimi stood up.

"Well, Tai... he... Well... God... He cheated on Sora and she caught him." The look on Sora's mother's face went from worry to pure rage.

"He _WHAT??_" Mimi sat down quickly, not sure what was going to happen to her if she stayed standing up. "What? Was it just a kiss or something?" Ms. Takenouchi asked, a little bit more softly. Joe looked around at everybody and shook his head.

"No. He was trying to... have se- sleep with another girl," he said nervously, but felt anger growing in his own chest. Why did Tai have to do that to Sora? Hadn't they told him earlier that _very_ day that he should take care of her? How could someone to this to Sora? Matt, Mimi, T.K., Kari, and Izzy all felt the same way. Jun was upset about Tai, but was even angrier about Kara. She had gone _too_ far. Ms. Takenouchi looked shocked. She fell back into a chair near the sofa.

"We're sorry to tell you, Ms. Takenouchi. Sora is really upset and she just couldn't tell you," Izzy said suddenly, trying to break the almost complete silence. The only other noise that could be heard was the muffled sound of crying from Sora's bedroom. Ms. Takenouchi began to cry. The teenagers looked on, horrified that an adult would cry in their presence. She got up from her chair and slowly walked to her bedroom, her head in her hands. The silence settled again. There was the nerve-racking tick of a clock on the TV and Sora's heartbreaking cries from her room. Finally, Mimi couldn't stand it anymore.

"I'm coming, Sora!" she cried as she got up from her spot on the couch and ran to Sora's room.

"I'm right behind you!" Kari chimed as she got up and ran to Sora's room on Mimi's heels. Matt squeezed Jun's hand. She looked at him questioningly. Matt nodded toward her room. Jun shook her head.

"I don't think it's a good idea," she said quietly. Matt squeezed her hand again.

"If it wasn't for you, Sora would have never caught Tai, and Sora deserves to know when he does something like that. You're her friend now, and you need to be there for her just like the rest of us," he whispered. Jun smiled.

"Thanks for the pep-talk, Matt," she said. She got up, but turned around and kissed Matt on the cheek before she turned around and ran to Sora's room. Matt blushed.

"I thought you hated Jun, Matt. What happened?" Izzy asked. Matt smiled.

"I'm not sure, but I'm sure glad it did," he said happily. Joe, T.K., and Izzy all looked at each other with puzzled looks on their faces.

"Well, that's another surprise to add to the list this evening," T.K. murmured.

"I just can't believe Tai would do that to Sora. She's so sweet and everything. She really is a great girl to have, and he turns around and tries to sleep with that slut!" Joe said, gesturing furiously. Izzy, Matt, and T.K. looked curiously.

"Do you _like_ Sora, Joe? Tell the truth. We're your friends," Izzy coaxed. Joe looked at him in shock.

"I told you that I love her to death as a _best friend_. I'm sure that's the way you guys feel about her, too." They all nodded without hesitation.

"Yeah, but right now, I think you would be a way better man for her than Tai. Unless he can figure out a way to win her back, she'll be free," T.K. said. Joe looked at the younger boy and sighed.

"But I don't want her like that. I don't want to take advantage of her, either," he said. Matt stood up and rested a hand on Joe's shoulder.

"That's exactly why you're better for her than he is right now. You don't want to take advantage of her. He did by trusting that she would take him back after he slept with another girl," he said. Joe just stared at Matt blankly.

"But she's my best friend!" Matt smiled mischievously.

"That's how she and Tai started, too." Joe shook his head in disbelief.

"Yes, but you could tell they were love at first sight! Sora and I are good friends! I'd appreciate it if you didn't try to make me like her, either. She's just a friend," he ranted, and every single last bit of what he said had been the truth.

"Maybe we should leave him alone, Matt. I mean, I think he's being sincere," T.K. said. Joe looked at him graciously.

"Thank you! Finally, somebody who's on _my_ side!" Matt shrugged and looked at Izzy. He vaguely remembered that when he had ran up to Sora that he and Mimi had been dancing together.

"Yeah, but what about this one and Mi-mi, hmm?" Izzy began to blush uncontrollably.

"Shut up, Matt." He laughed.

"Don't get defensive. Let's go see if the girls need our help," he said as he began walking to Sora's bedroom. The other guys followed closely on his heels.

*********************************************************************************************

'_How can I be so stupid! What was I thinking? Sleep with Kara so you won't disappoint Sora. What a load of crap! What the hell was I thinking? Now, I've probably lost her for good. I love her so much! How can you love somebody more than anything ever created, yet you can hurt that being so much that they shatter? How? HOW!?'_

Tai continuously beat himself up on the way home. He had been so stupid! He loved Sora more than anything, but if he did, why did he do that to her? 

'_I broke her. She's broken inside. So fragile. I killed her. What am I saying? I think I killed myself. What did I do to deserve Sora? Nothing! That's what I did. Absolutely nothing. I want her, not Kara. What was I thinking? Just because I could have pretended that it was Sora and even call out her name doesn't mean that I was making what I was doing right! She's not the only one that's broken. I am, too. I am torn apart. She's suffering, too. I promised that I'd never hurt her, and look at what I've done. I was about to make love to another girl! Well, you only make love to those you love, so I was about have sex with her, but it's the same thing, just different wording. What have I done???'_

He walked past many merry couples. All of them smiling. They were happy. That could have been Taichi Kamiya with his soon to be wife, Sora. He could have been one of the people smiling. He could have been one of the people who were actually happy. He had been so happy with Sora. Tai jammed his hands into his pockets, only to be met with two objects, one in each pocket. He took on the one in his right pocket and looked at it carefully. It was the engagement ring he had given to Sora just last night. When he could have prevented this all from happening.

'_I wonder what she's thinking right now. Knowing Sora, she's probably blaming herself for what's happened, but it's all my fault! She probably thinking that she pushed me too far away. That it's her fault. IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT, SORA! I'm so sorry! I'm so, so sorry!'_

Tai walked along, wiping the tears from his eyes. He put the ring back into his pocket. He would never touch another girl as long as he lived. He had done something so wrong. He deserved to suffer. He deserved to die, but that would be too easy. He had to suffer for what he had done. He needed to suffer. Tai brought out what had been in his left pocket and burst into tears. It was the pocket watch that he had wanted since he was ten years old. He had confided in Sora at first, but then had told his parents and his sister that he had wanted it for Christmas. He was told continuously that the one he wanted was too expensive. Tai sighed shakily through his tears. He remembered exactly how much that watch costed now. It had been exactly $504.78, including tax. He remembered dragging Sora through the mall, wanting to show her the gift. She had gawked at the price, but had told him that maybe one day he would get it. Tai studied the watch now. He had it, but he wasn't happy. He would never be happy without Sora. He wanted to take it all back, but the damage was done. He had hurt her, and in the process, he had hurt himself by losing her. He didn't blame her. Who would? She had caught him red handed. He had been laying on top of a naked girl! How could he justify himself? He couldn't. There was just no way. Tai had touched Kara's body in a way that he hadn't ever touched Sora's. He had thought that if he had touched Kara's body, he would never forgive himself. He was right all the way.

_'Read the back of the watch, Tai. Remember what it says?'_

How could he forget? What it said was all the hope he had left. He had hurt Sora, but there was still a chance. He read the back of the watch with dim hope.

  
  


_To Tai with all my love _

_on our first Christmas together_

_I'll never leave you_

_and I'll always love you_

_Tai and Sora forever_

  
  


Tai and Sora forever. That's what the watch said, and Sora rarely said what she didn't mean. Was there still hope for Tai and Sora's forever? He had endangered it. He had made it something that was just a word. A meaningless word. Eternity, forever, infinity... all meaningless words because of a stupid mistake he made. Something that could have been avoided if he was a real man. Someone who would never do anything to hurt another person. What had happened? He had screamed at Kara, telling her that he would never cheat on Sora. What happened? What happened that caused him to change his mind? He, in truth, had never changed his mind, but had just not done what he thought was right.

_'She said she'd never leave you. She said she'd always love you. Do you even remember how many times she said that? There is still hope, Tai. Prepare yourself, however. You have a difficult task ahead. Forever is a long time. But remember what you said so long ago? '_I can wait a billion eternities before you come to me. _If you really meant that, you may succeed.'_

"I'm so sorry, Sora. I love you," he whispered through his own tears. Broken tears. He remembered the poem that T.K. wrote for Kari not so long ago. Was his heart bleeding? Yes, it was. His heart was bleeding, and the way the blood was coming out was through his tears. He was bleeding tears, and God, it hurt. His heart ached. He was bleeding all right. He would keep bleeding until the blood stopped flowing in his veins. Bleeding those heartbroken tears. Couples that walked by stared at Taichi, but he didn't care. He was wrapped up in his own thought. 

_'Maybe I should bleed myself to death. Cry until it kills me. Cry until my heart can bleed no more. Cry and cry and cry and cry. Bleed myself to death by my tears. Bleed and bleed and bleed and bleed.'_

"No, Taichi. You've got to gather yourself together," he said to himself. He realized that he was right in front of his apartment.

_'Bleed and bleed and bleed and bleed until your tears become dry and your heart shrivels up and dies. You'll die without her, Tai. You've said that before. You were right.'_

Tai remembered when he had said that to Sora.

****FLASHBACK****

"....My heart is aching without you," Tai said sadly, knowing that it was true, but was surprised when Sora laughed. He narrowed his eyes. "What's so funny about the truth?" Sora quickly became sober.

"It's just that I never thought of you as someone who would be so poetic, that's all. But if it makes you feel better, I know how you felt today because I felt the same way, and I still do," she whispered soothingly. Tai's sudden anger melted at the sound of her apology.

"Well, could you come over? I could die without you... and I will," he added suddenly. Sora froze. Something inside of her told her that he just might be telling the truth. What had her mother said? No boys over? T.K. had already assisted in the breaking of that rule. She hadn't said anything about Sora going over to a boy's house. No matter. If Tai had been telling the truth, there wasn't any law that could keep her from getting to him.

"You won't die, Taichi. I'm coming for you," she consoled. Tai smiled. The idea of her being with him was enough to bring a smile to his face.

"Please hurry," he said, paused to think, and then continued. "My heartbeat lessens at the passing of every second without you, Sora." He was pleased with his sudden poetic ability. Before he had told Sora his feelings, Tai had been one of the not-so-smart students of Odaiba High. Now, he could create beautiful verses off the top of his head, but he only did it for Sora. 

"As does mine," Sora agreed. "I love you, Tai. I'll be right over." Tai smiled again at the thought of her loving him. It was enough to make him feel complete.

****END FLASHBACK****

_'She didn't want you to die, and she still doesn't, Tai. She needs you just as much as you need her. If it hadn't of been for her that day, T.K. just might have died, and if T.K. had died, your sister just might have, too. T.K., Kari, and YOU owe her your lives. You owe her everything in the world. You owe her everything. Everything.'_

Tai sighed heavily and shut his eyes. A sudden wind blew, causing his hair to flow behind him. He stretched out his arms, letting the cutting cold wrap around his body in a chilling blanket.

_'Let the cold swallow me. Let it eat me alive. Let it kill me. Let me die. Please. I don't deserve to live.'_

He tilted his head back and breathed in the cold, making him shiver.

_'Yes, you deserve to live. If you died, you would be getting out too easily. You have to live. You have to suffer for what you've done. You've hurt an innocent girl.'_

Tai snapped his head back to its upright position and put his arms down, but left his eyes closed. He was fighting tears.

'_Innocent girl, Tai. She was an innocent girl.'_

She _was_ innocent. Actually, she still was innocent, and he had almost destroyed that twice now. Who knew what she was going to do? If she was even half as sad, angry, or devastated as he was, there was no telling what she would do. No telling what _he _would do, either. 

_'She's broken. Crushed. Shattered. Wrecked. Ruptured. Pierced. But then remember, you are, too. You are broken. You are crushed. You are shattered. You are wrecked. You are pierced in your heart. You did this to yourself. You deserve to suffer. Welcome to Hell, Taichi._

_Welcome to Hell.'_

_************************************************************************************************** _

T.K., Matt, Joe, and Izzy all had their ears pressed up to the door, trying to hear what was going on. They could hear Sora's muffled crying and the soothing voices of the other girls.

"Shh, Sora," one voice said, which could instantly be identified as Mimi. There was another girl crying, but a lot more softly. T.K.'s eyes were becoming glassy with tears. He wanted to scream to Kari, telling her that he was there for her. That he was going to be there no matter what. That he was strong enough to love her and that he was strong enough to erase all of her pain, but he remained quiet, hoping that he wouldn't have to call to her like that. Sora was in enough pain already, and he didn't want to help add to it by making everyone pay more attention to him than they should.

"Tai has made stupid mistakes before, I'm sure. He didn't sleep with her. Maybe it's a sign." Matt immediately identified that voice as Jun. The crying stopped abruptly, signaling that both girls had ceased their sobbing for the moment.

"A sign of what? That he doesn't love me?" Sora asked softly, but you could tell that she was in pain. All the guys looked at each other.

"I meant like a test or something. Maybe some higher power is testing your love for each other," Jun said, trying to clarify her statement. 

"Well, we failed miserably. Or _he_ did, one of the two," Sora moaned and suddenly began to weep again. The boys couldn't stand it any longer. Joe opened the door forcefully, and all four of them stepped inside.

"We're sorry, Sora. We couldn't help it. We want to be here for you, too. Just because we're men doesn't mean we can't be sensitive," Matt said softly. Jun looked at him and smiled quizzically. '_How sensitive are you, Matt? We all know that you aren't the person you put on to be, so who are you, Matt? Just how sensitive can you be? Who are you inside, Yamato Ishida? Who are you exactly?' _she thought. _'There is so much more to you. If only you would trust me. If only.'_

"He's right, Sora. It hurts us to see you cry, too," T.K. said, but glanced at Kari as he said it. She smiled, remembering the poem he had given her some time ago. '_He's telling the truth,' _she thought. Sora smiled her best at the boys who had just busted into her bedroom. 

"Thank you, guys. That really means a lot to me," she whispered. They all nodded.

"We meant every word," Joe said solemnly. Mimi, Izzy, T.K., and Matt all shot glances at him, making Joe feel hot under the collar. Sora just smiled. '_She's my best friend. I hope Sora doesn't think I like her or this could get bad for all of us,'_ Joe thought nervously.

"Thanks, Joe. You guys can have a seat if you want," Sora said through her tears, which were at least silent now. Matt sat down next to Jun on Sora's bed and held her hand. Jun leaned in closer to him and put her head on his shoulder. Matt was a little startled by her sudden show of affection, but wrapped an arm around her shoulders lovingly. He hesitated and kissed the top of her head. Sora smiled at the sight. '_Maybe they're falling in love?' _She looked at Kari and T.K. and saw that he was holding Kari close to him. '_Tai used to hold me like that. I wish this never would have happened. That way, he would be holding me right now. Holding me close to him. Holding me in his secure arms. Just holding me.' _Izzy sat down next to Mimi. She smiled weakly at him and reached out for his hand. He took her hand in his gently and kissed it, making Mimi blush furiously. He just smiled and continued to hold her hand. Joe just stood up, refusing to sit next to Sora. He wanted to, but that wouldn't go over well with those who thought he liked Sora for a girlfriend. '_This is ridiculous. She's my BEST FRIEND!'_ But, not wanting to give in to peer pressure, he just stood up and watched all the happy couples. All except him and Sora.

"Sora, will you be all right?" Kari asked suddenly. Sora looked at Kari with saddened eyes. Eyes that had been so full of hope and love were now dim, hopeless, and lost. Sora was lost in the maze of her life, and she wasn't sure she'd ever find her way out.

"I dunno. It'll take time, I guess, but I don't think I'll ever get over him," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Kari nodded.

"I don't know if I will, either. I mean, I know he's my brother, but what he did was wrong. He shouldn't have been like that." Silence settled in the room. It seemed like eternity, but it was just a few seconds. You could hear steady breathing, but that was about it. Sora saw Joe gazing around the room. She laughed softly.

"You can look around if you want, Joe," she said. He looked at her solemnly.

"I was just looking at the decoration, that's all," he replied.

"Well, I was just offering," she said. He nodded.

"Thanks, but I'm fine as a spectator." He continued to gaze around the room. Joe smiled slightly at its tomboyish appearance. There were no bright colors. There were dark blues and greens, combined with a few shades of red. His eyes fell on the picture of Tai and Sora right after a tournament win. They were happy in that picture. '_I hope they can be happy again someday,'_ he thought sadly. 

"Well, it's getting kind of late, Sora. We all need to head home, if you don't mind," Izzy said, interrupting the peaceful quiet.

"Okay. Go on home, you guys. I tried to tell you that earlier. Thank you for all your help. I feel a lot better," Sora said, but she actually didn't feel better at all. '_At least I can't feel any worse.'_ Mimi stood up, still holding Izzy's hand.

"Are you sure you're going to be all right?" she asked. Sora smiled. 

"I'm sure." Mimi held out open arms to Sora and hugged her tightly.

"Be careful," Mimi whispered.

"You, too," Sora whispered back as she released her friend. "All of you need to be careful. It's really cold out there and there supposed to be another snow storm coming," she warned. All of the people in her room nodded as if she was their mother.

"We will, Sora. Do you want someone to stay with you for a while longer?" Kari asked. Sora shook her head.

"I think I need some time to myself. Be careful, Kari," she said softly. Kari nodded and hugged Sora briefly.

"You, too." With that, all of the digidestined and Jun waved good bye to Sora and began to walk toward the door. Sora laughed to herself, causing everyone to look at her.

"What's so funny?" Joe asked. Sora smiled at him with glassy eyes, showing tears would soon come.

"Merry Christmas." Instead of raising their spirits, they all felt even worse. Not only had Tai cheated on Sora, but on Christmas Day, too.

"Merry Christmas, Sora," Joe replied finally. They all said Merry Christmas and walked out of Sora's bedroom door with heavy hearts for leaving her. Sora waited until she heard the door downstairs shut until she burst into tears again. She did feel broken. She felt like she could never put herself together again. 

"I love you, Tai," she cried softly. The tears kept coming. Her heart was bleeding tears, just like Tai's. Bleeding and bleeding and bleeding and bleeding. She buried her face into her pillow and silently bled her tears.

*********************************************************************************************

"I feel so sorry for Sora. She really loved Tai," Mimi said as they walked closer to the hotel she was staying in. Matt sighed.

"She still does. I just can't believe Tai would do something like that to her. I mean, he always had a thing for her, and in the last few months, all he could talk about was how much he loved her. What the heck was going through his mind when he did that?" he asked, making wild gestures with his free hand. The other was being held by none other that Jun. Izzy and Mimi were walking side by side, but Izzy made a grab for her hand, and soon they were walking along just like Jun and Matt. T.K. had his arms wrapped around Kari's shoulders, and she had her hands clasped in front of her. Joe just walked behind them all, having vague jealousy for not having someone he could love.

"He was a jerk, but more than likely, Sora will take him back," Joe said. Matt looked at him and grinned.

"Much to _your_ disappointment," he said slyly. Joe scowled.

"Would you _stop_ that?! I don't want her like that, and I never will. Yes, I _had_ a crush on her, but I don't anymore, okay?" he exclaimed. Matt shrank back.

"Whoa, okay. _Somebody _needs to get off the caffeine." Joe just kept the scowl on his face. 

"We're here, Mimi," Izzy said, gesturing with his head toward a grand hotel. Mimi sighed.

"I had a good time tonight, Izzy. Despite all the interruptions and all," she said with a slight smile, but it was sad. Izzy returned it.

"I did, too. Well.. Goodnight," he said. He suddenly leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. She blushed, let go of his hand, and waved goodnight to everybody. They all waved back. 

"Well, it looks like Izzy's got a girlfriend," T.K. said, laughing a little. Izzy looked at him and smiled.

"I hope so," he whispered. "She's really nice." Matt, Joe, T.K., and Kari nodded in agreement. Jun just had a blank look on her face.

"I don't know her that well, but she did seem really nice," she said. Matt nodded.

"She's really sincere," he said, smiling brightly. Jun looked at him strangely.

"What's so funny?" He just shook his head.

"Something that goes way back. Hey, Joe! Isn't your apartment somewhere over there?" Matt asked, gesturing toward a group of apartment complexes in front of them. Joe nodded.

"Yeah. My parents left earlier today. Dad's got some big conference and my mom went with him so he wouldn't have to spend Christmas alone. Jim's the only one I've got this whole week," he said sullenly. Izzy laughed.

"Well, your brother seems really nice," he said thoughtfully.

"HA! The last time you saw him was four years ago. He's a real pain once you get to know him." Matt laughed.

"That's how you can tell they're brothers," he whispered to Jun, who started laughing. Joe's face went red.

"I _heard _that," he hissed. T.K. laughed.

"It's only the truth, Joe. I guess we'll see you later, huh?" Joe nodded, still a little upset with Matt's comment.

"Yeah, I guess. It was really nice getting to see you guys," he said with a wave.

"Same here, Joe. Be careful!" Kari called after him. Then, the remaining digidestined continued their journey. Izzy's house came up next and they all waved good bye to him as he walked inside, still having a smile plastered to his face. He obviously had Mimi on his mind. T.K.'s apartment was next, but he refused to go in until he saw Kari home safely. Jun's apartment was after his. Matt wondered how they were going to say good bye.

"Well," Matt started. Jun let go of his hand and looked at him with tender eyes.

"Well... This is my stop," she said quietly. Matt smiled at her. It was a soft, compassionate smile. 

"I never thought I'd say this, but I had a great time with you tonight," he said, laughing a little. Jun laughed with him.

"Me, too..." They stared into each other's eyes for what seemed like hours, but only seconds. T.K. and Kari looked on with smiles on their faces. "Well, I guess I'll go," she said finally, a little bit of disappointment in her voice. She turned around and started walking toward her apartment building.

"Jun, Wait!" She turned around to face Matt, who had been reaching out for her. 

"Yes?" she asked, the hope reappearing in her voice. He stuck his hands in his pockets and looked down at his feet. He kicked a rock.

"W-w-w-would you l-l-like to g-go out with m-m-me someti-time?" he mumbled.

"What?" Jun asked, honestly not understanding him. Matt looked up at her.

"Would you like to go out with me sometime?" he asked, annunciating each word. Jun smiled brightly.

"Of course." He smiled. 

"Good. Would tomorrow night be okay?" Her smile widened.

"That would be great." He started blushing.

"Well, uh... Good night. I'll call you tomorrow!" he called as Jun started walking toward her apartment. She looked back at him and waved.

"Good night, Matt," she called back and disappeared inside the doors. Matt turned around with a dreamy smile and a little bit of red still in his cheeks, which was not from the cold. T.K. and Kari were smiling. 

"Aw, get over it," Matt said angrily, but couldn't make the smile disappear from his face. T.K. and Kari laughed.

"Don't be worried about us. I wonder if _you'll_ get over it," Kari said, still laughing. Matt stuck his tongue out at them and they continued on their way home. They finally got to the Kamiya apartment. Kari seemed hesitant to leave T.K.'s protective arms, but he told her that she couldn't spend the night with him and that she needed to go home. She nodded and left his arms, but not without a lengthy kiss good night, and got in the elevator. As the doors closed, Matt could have sworn she had started crying again. 

"Well, I guess I had better head back, Matt," T.K. said. Matt shook his head.

"No. Come home with me and I'll get Dad to drive you home," he said solemnly. T.K. smiled.

"Great. Now I won't have to walk home. Thanks, Matt." T.K.'s older brother shrugged.

"It's Christmas." With that, they both headed for Matt's apartment, both hoping that they could get their dad to take the younger brother home.

**********************************************************************************************

Sora sat up from her bed and looked around her. She looked at the time and gasped. It was already 9:30! She'd been crying for an hour. She got up and padded toward her bathroom. She turned on the cold water and splashed it on her face. She looked into the mirror and sighed. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. She hadn't been wearing any makeup. She never did in an effort to keep her tomboyish personality. Sora ran a finger over the red swollen pockets under her eyes. She splashed more cold water on her face and turned the faucet off. She padded to her closet, rummaged through, and found a pair of suitable pajamas and changed. Sadness weighed her heart down. Her mind kept floating back to Tai, no matter how much effort she put into pushing him out of her thoughts.

"I miss you already," she whispered. She felt the tears well up in her eyes again, but used shear will power to push them back. _'Sora Takenouchi, you will NOT cry. Not now, anyway,' _she thought firmly. She was still totally devastated. She loved Taichi Kamiya, no matter what, but that didn't mean she had to trust him anymore.

_'What really hurts is that I wanted him just last night. He tells me he couldn't for religious reasons and that he was afraid I'd get pregnant. Then what the hell was he thinking about Kara? That God would just overlook him sleeping with Kara just because she's a slut? Or that if Kara got pregnant, it wouldn't matter? She probably wouldn't know who the father was anyway, but that's not the point! How could you, Tai? I try to give you the only thing I've got left that's WORTH anything, and you turn around and try to...to... sleep with a girl that gave what I was going to give you away so long ago? Why did you do it, Tai? Why did you have to do this to me!?'_

Tears were coming back. Sora shut her eyes slowly and shook her head. No. She couldn't cry now. Not now. She had cried to much for the time being. She needed to stop crying. She needed to stop bleeding. She needed to stop dying.

_'You are dying, Sora. You're dying without him. Slowly, but surely. You're dying because he's not here. You're dying because he made a stupid mistake. You're hurting. Your heart is the one that's aching for him to touch you and hold you in his arms. Does he realize what he's done to you?'_

No, he probably didn't. 

_'It's all your fault, Sora! You're the one who asked him to sleep with you! You're the one that pushed him away!'_

No, that wasn't true. Sora shook her head. She had to stop thinking like this. It really wasn't healthy for her, though she didn't care about her health anymore. Apparently, Tai didn't either.

_'Why don't you go get some fresh air? It'll do you some good to get out.'_

Sora snorted laughter. The last time she went out, she lost her fiancee. But, then again, what could a little walk in the park do?

_'Just change into something remotely fit to be seen in public, slip on your coat and shoes, and leave for a while. Think about something besides Tai.'_

With that, she did what her mind had suggested. She changed again and was soon ready. Sora trampled downstairs to hear her mother's cries. She worriedly went to her mother's room and gasped. Her own mother lay on her bed, crying just as Sora had earlier. Sora felt the tears come back to her own eyes, but she willed them away again.

_'How much is your heart going to bleed, Sora? How much?'_

She ignored the positively horrifying question her mind was asking her and walked away from her mother's bedroom. She took a piece of paper and wrote with her delicate handwriting where she was going and about what time she would be back. Adding a 'Don't worry about me' and 'Love, Sora", she threw the note down on the table and briskly walked out the door. She slowed her stride, however, trying to enjoy what was left of Christmas.

_'Tai's a jerk. He shouldn't have done that to you. If he really loved you like he said, he wouldn't have done that. All of those verses of poetry that he "invented of the top of his head" are probably taken from some poetry book. He didn't really love you, Sora. He was always a jerk. He was a risk taker, and he just took one too many.'_

Sora tensed up at the last sentence that ran through her mind. He always was a risk taker. The tears began to come back, but she made no effort to stop them. What was she crying about now? Or rather, why was she bleeding? She was crying because it didn't make her feel any better to shoot Tai down, no matter what he had done to her. Her mind felt that he was a jerk, but what did her heart feel?

_'Tai may make wrong decisions sometimes, but he loves you more than _anything. _ No, he shouldn't have done that to you, but he meant every word when he said "I love you" and you know it. That poetry was from his heart, not any book that could be written. He loves you, and you love him more with the passing of every year, every month, every week, every day, every hour, every minute, and every... single... second. Yes, he was a risk taker, but you need to forgive him, Sora. Forgive him, and you will begin to trust him again.'_

Sora nodded, as if the voice of her heart was real. She temporarily removed herself from the fight of mind and soul to recognize her surroundings. She took in a sharp breath. It was the park. Where she first asked Tai to sleep, or in his words, make love to her. Trees lined both sides of the sidewalk that lead straight down the center of the park. There were intersections of other sidewalks that led to the playground. She smiled tearily as she imagined a little red haired tomboy being chased by a boy with an ego as big as his hair. The girl stopped and laughed as the little boy slipped and fell in the snow that covered the park. The little red head went over and tried to help the little boy up, but he pulled her down beside her and began to tickle her relentlessly. Sora laughed at the memory, but sighed as she walked through the images of the past, which disappeared almost as quickly as they came. They faded away. Just like everything else anymore. They just faded away. Sure, they would come back momentarily, but how many times would that happen? How many memories had she lost?

_'You could have so many more memories to replace the ones long lost, Sora. Forgive Tai and you can create new ones together.'_

She kept walking, taking note of the good argument her heart was making against her mind, which was now quiet. Her mind's voice was now nothing, for it had nothing good to come back with. Her heart was winning. For now, anyway. She sat down on a bench near the playground and sighed, trying to remember a time when her and Tai had been perfectly happy playing games with each other and blushing every time one of them said something nice to the other. She remembered while looking at the swings that one time she had fallen out of one of them. She watched intently as the ghostly images from her memory resurfaced. The little red-headed tomboy fell out of the swings and began to cry. The little boy had a horrified look on his face. He had been pushing the little girl when she had fallen out of the swing and felt extremely upset with himself. Sora could see the little boy bending down and trying to help the red-head up. The girl got up slowly. She showed the little boy the scrape on her cheek. The boy began to blush a deep crimson. 

"_I'll make it better for ya, Sora,"_ he said softly. The teenage Sora smiled. She remembered him telling her that. She remembered the butterflies that had fluttered in her stomach as she had asked him how, and remembered the incredible feeling that came over her as he simply replied by kissing her cheek. 

"Hey! Aren't you Sora?" Sora's reminiscing was cut short. She whirled on the bench around to find a young man about as old as T.K. or Davis.

"Yes... You look familiar," she said, a little stunned that someone would know her. He had black hair and was somewhat taller than Davis, but about as tall as T.K. His eyes were very sad. He looked like someone who had lost so much. He smiled.

"I should. Remember me? I'm Ken," he said. His voice was soft and gentle, not at all what he was most remembered for. Sora smiled back, but hers was a sad, depressed smile.

"Oh. Hi, Ken. I haven't seen you in a while," she said, trying to make conversation, but that's not what she wanted to do at all. 

"Close to a year. So... How are you?" he asked. Ken saw her shoulders drop almost immediately.

"Fine." He nodded, but he knew it wasn't the truth.

"I heard that you made the tennis team, but that was some time ago." She nodded slowly.

"Yeah, but then I quit because of..." She paused. "..family problems, but my coach called a few days ago and asked me to rejoin." Ken nodded.

"That's good. Nothing's been going on with me lately," he said, his voice still soft. Sora looked at him with a frown on her face.

"Too much has been going on with me," she said, almost hissing it. He looked a little taken back.

"Care to talk about it?" he asked kindly. Sora glared at him. She couldn't even remember his name and he's asking her if she'd like to talk to him? Well, she _could_ spare the details.

"You're lending me an ear?" she asked. He nodded with a slight smile.

"Sure I am. It's nice when I can be there for somebody. Everyone's always been here for me," he said, but his soft tone became a little saddened. Sora nodded.

"Well, if you insist." She took a deep breath. It couldn't hurt to talk to him. "I've been going out with this guy for a little over four months-"

"Taichi, right?" he asked. Sora nodded suspiciously.

"How did you know?"

"I heard it from Kari, I believe. I also heard something about an engagement from her." Sora smiled.

"I wonder how many others she told," she said. Ken shrugged.

"No telling with her, but you were saying?" Sora took another deep breath and told him about that night's events, shedding quite a few silent tears as she said it. Ken looked extremely worried when she finished. '_Maybe that's because I'm crying like a baby," _she thought angrily. Instead of telling her to stop crying, she was surprised when Ken patted her on the back.

"He made a mistake, that's all," he said quietly. Sora just looked at him.

"You don't know how his 'mistake' makes me feel," she said angrily. Ken lifted his eyebrows and shrugged.

"I'm sure I don't. I've been through a lot, and I know how it feels to lose someone," he said slowly. Sora's eyes softened as he continued. "I know I felt like I needed to take out my revenge out someone right then and there, and unfortunately, I found a way how. But now, looking back, I realize that I could have waited it out and gone through my period of mourning without hurting someone that I love. It's a shame I realize that now, but I'll remember that lesson. I guess what I'm trying to say is-"

"Don't go out and do anything that I'll regret, right?" Sora finished for him. His sad face showed her a smile, but his eyes were still so melancholy.

"Exactly. Well, I need to get going. I just thought that I'd take a walk through the park, you know? Good luck with Hikari's brother," he said softly. Sora smiled at the mentioning of Kari's full name. It was something none of the digidestined heard very often.

"Thank you. I hope you become happy someday," she said after he got up and turned his back to her. He froze. 

"What do you mean by that?" he asked, his soft voice now shaky. Sora bowed her head as he turned around to look at her. She looked back up at him to meet those eyes.

"Your eyes. You're very sad, Ken. I can tell. Hey, listen, if you ever need someone to talk to, you can call me, okay?" she said. Ken narrowed his eyes and laughed nervously. He began walking away again.

"You know, Sora. I just might take you up on that," he said as he walked away. Sora smiled. At least she could be of use to _somebody_.

_'That kid dished out some pretty good advice, you know.'_

Yes, he had. Very, very good advice. Some that she wished he had given Tai, but the past was the past.

'_He also said something about revenge, Sora. Wouldn't that be nice?'_

No! She couldn't do anything to get back at Tai. He was probably hurting enough.

_'You could do what he almost did. You know, kind of adding insult to injury?'_

No! Sora fought with herself. It was mind vs. soul again.

'_Sora, just go home and go to bed. It's been a hard day, and you need your rest.'_

Yes, that's what she needed. She needed sleep. Wait. She felt she needed to talk to somebody. Who could she talk to? She wasn't sure what room Mimi was in, and in that hotel, they probably wouldn't give her the room number. Jun wasn't the kind of person Sora wanted to talk to right now. Matt lived pretty far away. She didn't want a technical description of what was going on, so Izzy was out. Yolei, Cody, and Davis weren't exactly talking material. Ken had provided some kind of closure, but she needed a closer friend. Kari was out of the question. She lived too far away _and_ she lived with Tai. T.K. was a possibility, but he probably walked Kari home. That left Old Reliable himself. Sora got up from the bench and began to walk out of the snow-covered park, where memories had been created and memories had been lost. She only hoped that she wouldn't be lost like her memories. She hoped she wouldn't fade away. But deep in her heart, she was fading away without Tai. Without him, she was lost.

Possibly forever.

**********************************************************************************************

Joe flopped down on his couch. He had gotten there over an hour and a half ago, but he hadn't done anything except get something to drink and was currently watching TV. He propped his feet up on his coffee table, something that was restricted if his parents had been home. He smiled, rejoicing in the fact that he was temporarily free from his mother and father's tyrannic rule. He had noticed almost right away that Jim wasn't home, but he couldn't find a note that said where his brother was. Joe put his cup of coke down on his table, but noticed a piece of paper that had some scribbles on it. He picked it up and began to read with great difficulty. "I've got to teach him how to write," he mumbled to himself.

Hey Joe!

Went to a party. Don't be surprised if you don't see me until morning. I'll probably just crash there tonight.

Jim

"Jim was invited to a _party???_ When did _that_ happen?" Joe wondered aloud. He shrugged and threw the note aside. "I can at least spend the rest of Christmas in peace." He got up again to go to the refrigerator, yawning and stretching as he went along. He looked at the clock and gasped in surprise. "10:00! Wow. I need to take a shower." With that, Joe went to his room, gathered his sleeping clothes and a towel, and went to the bathroom to take a hot shower.

**********************************************************************************************

Sora sighed. She looked up at the tall apartment building. She knew which floor Joe was on, but otherwise had no idea. She made herself go inside, briskly walking past an older couple. She rushed to the elevator and waited for it to arrive at her floor. It dinged, opened, and Sora hopped in. She pressed the 4 button and waited for it to take her up to her friend's floor, where she would execute a lengthy method of knock-to-see-if-it's-the-right-person to find where Joe lived.

**********************************************************************************************

There was furious knocking on the Kido family's door. Joe couldn't hear it however. He was too caught up in the relaxing jet streams of his shower.

"JOE! OPEN UP! PLEASE! I NEED TO TALK TO YOU!" Joe heard that. Who couldn't? He had no idea who it could be, however. He got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his mid section. He had soap in his hair and on his back, but it sounded important. 

"Coming! Hold on!" he shouted. He opened the bathroom door, allowing steam to tumble out into the hall. "I'm coming!" The furious knocking stopped for a second or two. Then it started again. Joe was becoming agitated. "WHAT?!" he screamed as he threw open the door, but was surprised to see Sora. "Oh, Sora! I'm sorry. I didn't know it was you." Sora's mouth dropped open. Joe looked down, gasped, and blushed.

"If I came at a bad time, I can lea-"

"No! It's okay. You just caught me in the shower. Come in and take a seat. I'll go finish showering, okay? I'll be right out. Is everything okay?" he asked, his face covered in concern. Sora gave him a 'what do _you_ think?' look and he instantly felt stupid. "Okay, well, I'll go get this soap out of my hair." He ran back to the bathroom and shut the door behind him. Sora stepped into the apartment and shut the door behind her. "You can grab something to eat if you want!" he shouted from the shower. She shook her head.

"No, thanks." She began to walk around again. She admired the degrees that decorated all of the walls and smiled. Joe's family was so successful while hers... well, wasn't. 

'_You can have your revenge, Sora.'_

Sora shook her head. No, she couldn't do that. She still loved Tai, and two wrongs don't make a right. Besides, Joe was a good friend. That was something that didn't need to be taken advantage of. 

'_But you and Tai started out as friends. Just think of what you and Joe could be. You could be lovers in the true sense of the word. He's a good man and he already told you that he loves you. You and he could do things that Tai was too weak to do. You and he could become one soul, Sora. He's a good person.'_

Her mind did have a good point, but her heart was still torn over Tai. He was the one she wanted to become "one" with. They were soul mates, in the true sense of the word. She needed him, and nothing could change that or take his place. Suddenly, she began to lose control of her actions. It was like her mind was building walls against her. The "real" Sora was trapped behind a wall while something else took over her actions. The "new" Sora frantically began to search for Joe's room. 

'_NO! You love Tai! You love Tai more than anything!'_

The "new" Sora paid no attention to the cries of her heart. The "real" Sora was trapped within herself. She was lost in her own mind. She was fading away. Tai wasn't there to make her strong anymore. She wasn't ever going to be strong without him. She was weak, and something that had been buried in her mind for years had taken over her with surprising and horrifying strength. 

'_I'm fading without you, Tai. I'm fading away. I'm lost and I'm scared. Tai, please, help me!'_

But, of course, Taichi couldn't hear the silent cries from her mind. She found Joe's room and quickly shut the door behind her. Then, the "new" Sora began to undress, pushing the "real" Sora farther and farther into a world of darkness and no hope. She was lost. She was fading away. She was scared, but she could do nothing.

**********************************************************************************************

Joe jumped out of the shower and dried off quickly and put on his glasses, which were fogged up tremendously. 

"Damn glasses..." he mumbled as he blindly searched for his clothes and began to put them on. All he had was an old t-shirt and some flannel boxers, but he was sure Sora wouldn't take it personally. He wiped his glasses clean again, but they fogged up again within the minute. He turned off the light and blindly began to feel his way out of the bathroom. "Sora? Where are you? I can't exactly see right now," he called. 

"I'm in your room!" she called. Joe straightened up suddenly. In his _room?_ Why was she in there? '_Get your mind out of the gutter, Joe Kido. Just get it OUT of the gutter.' _

"Okay..." he said as he began to feel his way to his room. By that time, the fog on his glasses had formed into tiny beads of water and he could see a little bit more clearly. He stopped however and wiped them clean again, except this time, they stayed that way. He continued to his room and opened the door. "Now what's the mat-" He stopped abruptly and let his jaw drop. 

There was Sora. On his bed. Naked.

"S-s-s-sora??? What are you _doing???_" he asked, perplexed by the whole situation. She got up from his bed and walked toward him. "Why are you naked, for crying out loud??" She didn't answer. She just kept walking closer to him. "What's gotten into you???" Sora walked up to him until she was so close that she could have kissed him. She pressed her body against Joe, who was beginning to hyperventilate.

"Calm down, Joe. Shh," she whispered. Joe wondered how she wanted him to calm down when there was a naked girl pressing her body against his, but he tried his best.

"What do you want, Sora?" _'Please don't let it be sex...please!'_

"I want you to make love to me, Joe Kido, and I won't take 'no' for an answer," she said seductively. Joe gulped audibly.

"No." She pressed against him even more. This was almost too much for Joe, no matter how level headed he tried to be.

"Yes, you will. I want you more than anything right now," she whispered again. She released the pressure she was applying with her body and stood back from him. Thoughts began to race through his mind. She was very, VERY tempting at this point, but he had said just that night that he didn't want to take advantage of her. She was in a weak state of mind, and he would never live with himself if he did anything with her. However, this would probably be his only chance to sleep with one of the best girls he had ever met, heck, THE best girl he had ever met. Sora was so sweet, caring, charming, trusting, beautiful, compassion- HOLD UP! Wait a minute. She is trusting. Meaning that she is gullible right now. No, he couldn't do it. She trusted him with friendship, and that was worth more than any one-night stand.

"Yes, you may right now, but what about tomorrow? You won't want me then," he said. He felt a pang of sadness. Nobody ever wanted him. Nobody ever had.

"Yes, I will, Joe. You told me you loved me, remember?" Joe mentally kicked himself.

"As a best friend, Sora, not as a lover," he corrected. Sora walked forward and kissed him passionately. He didn't want to break the kiss, but he had to in the name of friendship. This hurt him. Sora was his best friend and she was one of the most beautiful, caring, and loving girls he would ever meet. She actually wanted _him_, Joe Kido. Manly urges filled his body, but he figured he would be more of a man to resist her than to take her.

"Please, Joe. I need this," she whispered, her eyes becoming glassy. Joe sighed shakily. Either she was being sincere, or she was a dang good actor. She hugged him, pressing her bare body against his chest. This was enough to drive a man over the edge. "Please." 

"Mmmhmm. I don't know, Sora," he said slowly. Sora looked at him and stood back, revealing her naked body to him once again.

"If you can't take me like this, then who can? Am I that worthless, Joe? Am I?" she asked, gesturing to her body. He tried to fight the urge to look at her, but it became too much. He took her in with his eyes. He sighed and took a step forward and touched her hair, red as fire.

"You're not worthless, Sora. You're worth the world to me. If you want me to prove it, I'll do this, but only to prove that you are worth more than you think. You're so beautiful, Sora, but I am your friend. This will be hurting our relationship as friends more than you realize. What about Tai? You love him." Sora cringed at this statement. The "real" Sora was fighting back against her worse half. That's all it was. Not alter egos or multiple personalities, but a fight between what was right and what was wrong. Sora's "right" half was fighting back with all her might. Joe continued without her answer. "What will happen to us after this?" he asked. Sora shook her head and smiled.

"I don't know, but I'm sure it will be more than friendship," she said softly. Joe smiled back at her. He cupped his hands around her face and kissed her deeply. She kissed him back softly, almost driving him wild. He took off his shirt, and she pressed herself against him. "Do you really love me, Joe?" 

"You're my best friend. I love you as that, but nothing more."

"Could you love me as something more?" Joe hesitated.

"Yes, I suppose I could. Why are you asking me this?" Sora paused. Why was she asking him this?

"I wanted to know." Joe nodded, as if accepting this, but then looked deep into her eyes and brushed her hair back from her face.

"Do you love me, Sora?" he asked slowly. Sora nodded.

"As a friend."

"Could _you_ love me as something more?" Sora hesitated. This was a harder question for her than it had been for Joe.

"I-I-I think so," she stammered. Joe winced.

"You can't love me, can you?"

"Yes, I can. I already do."

"You know what we're about to do will either drive us apart or put us together, right?"

"Yes, I know that."

"And you're telling me that you _think_ you can love me after we do this?" Sora sighed shakily.

"I _will _love you after we do this." Joe nodded hesitantly.

"Fine." With that, he began to kiss her. She let him kiss her without stopping him, but the "right" Sora was screaming inside. '_I LOVE TAI! NO! Joe, please stop! Please!' _Then, the "right" Sora just did what she could to keep her sanity. She began to imagine Joe was Tai. Joe laid Sora down on his bed and continued to kiss her, but he hadn't let his hands wander yet. He wanted to give Sora a chance to stop this before he went too far. '_Please stop me, Sora. I'm hurting you and Tai. Please just say the word and I'll stop. You're worth more you'll ever realize, just please, make me stop.'_ She began to kiss him back. 

"I love you, Tai," she whispered. Joe almost jumped for joy. He grabbed her hands, which had been making their way down his stomach to his boxers.

"What did you just say?" he asked. Sora looked confused.

"I said I loved you."

"But what did you call me?"

"Joe, of course." Joe frowned. He had wanted this whole thing to stop, but he didn't want it to stop in such a hurtful way. 

"No, Sora. You called me Tai. You were pretending I was Tai, weren't you?" he asked. Suddenly, the "right" Sora crashed through the walls that the "wrong" Sora had built. 

"Joe!" she cried as she hugged him. He was a bit taken back, but he wrapped his arms around her.

"Shh, Sora. I was wondering what had gotten into you," he whispered. He felt extremely sorry for her as she began to cry. '_She loves him so much.'_

"Oh, Joe! I'm so sorry! One minute, all I wanted to do was talk to you, the next, I can't control what I'm doing and I'm trying to seduce you! I'm so sorry! And now I've cheated on Tai! Oh, what have I done?" she whimpered. Joe hugged her solemnly and closed his eyes. '_It's my fault, Sora. I should have never have given in.'_

"Actually, Sora, I don't think it was really 'you' that tried this with me. You're in a rather... weak frame of mind. It wasn't you, Sora. I know it wasn't." Sora smiled sadly at him.

"Maybe..." He unwrapped her arms from around him and looked at her chest. She was beautiful, but she still needed to have clothes on.

"Sora, maybe you should put some clothes on," he said softly. Sora looked down and gasped.

"I'm just as bad as Kara is!" Joe abruptly put his hands on her shoulders and shook her gently. She looked him in the eye.

"Don't _ever_ say that, Sora. You're _nothing_ like her," he whispered. Sora nodded like a little child. "Now, I'll leave so you can get dressed, okay?" She nodded again. He stopped at the doorway and turned around, trying not to look at her. "You know, Sora. It's really late and it's kind of dangerous on the streets, so you can stay here if you want." Sora looked at him, stunned.

"After what I've done to you, Joe? Are you being serious?" Joe nodded.

"No matter what would have happened, I would have still cared for you as my best friend. I don't want you to get hurt," he said, still trying to avoid looking at her. Sora nodded.

"Thank you, Joe, but I don't have any sleeping clothes." Joe blindly pointed to a chest of drawers. 

"Just go and get some out of there. You can have them once you're done with them," he said. Sora smiled.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," he said and turned on his heels out the door. "I'm calling your mom and telling her that you're all right," Joe called. 

"You don't have to, Joe. I don't think she even knows I'm gone."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Whatever." He sat down in the living room and began to watch TV again. He flipped through a couple of channels that were showing _It's a Wonderful Life_ and decided to watch it from lack of other choices. Finally, Sora came into the living room. She was wearing a very baggy shirt from Joe's collection and some long boxers. He made a half smile at her and patted the seat beside him. She bit her bottom lip and sat down beside him.

"I'm really sorry, Joe. Now I don't know how you or Tai will forgive me," she said softly, almost starting to cry again. She buried her head into his shoulder and began to weep silently. Joe gingerly wrapped an arm around her.

"There's no need for me to forgive you, and Tai, no matter how much of a jerk he can be sometimes, will forgive you, but you have to forgive him first," he said quietly. Sora kissed Joe on the cheek, making him blush. He was amazed at the fact at how far they had just gone but a simple peck on the cheek caused him to blush like a lovesick teenager.

"You're a real friend, Joe. I do love you, but not in _that_ way," she said. Joe nodded.

"Same here," he whispered. They both began to watch the movie. Sora, at one point in time, had buried her head into his shoulder again to cry silently. Joe didn't mind. He felt awfully guilty for what he had done to her emotionally. Though it wasn't all his doing, he still could have refused her. The movie ended soon afterward. Joe looked at Sora and smiled. She was asleep, of course. She was very beautiful when she was asleep, something that he was sure that only he and Tai knew. He ran a hand through his hair and pushed his glasses up on his nose. He strained to pick Sora up, as he wasn't very strong, and carried her to his room. He laid her down on the same bed that they had almost committed a sacred act in. He covered her up and brushed the hair from her eyes, tucking it behind her ears, smiling the whole time. He cupped her cheek sadly. '_The best girl a guy could have. You're a lucky man, Tai. A very lucky man. What could have happened if I had told her I loved her a long time ago, Tai? I could have had her. She could have been mine. But I don't like her that way anymore. She's my best friend now. How could it have been if I had you, Sora? How could it have been if I had taken you not even an hour ago? What if you were my girl, Sora? Then you wouldn't be happy because you and Tai are soul mates. I doubt if I even have one. Joe Kido, loner for life.' _He ran his hand over her cheek and frowned, feeling an overwhelming sense of sadness sweep over him. Suddenly, Sora shifted in the bed. He drew back his hand quickly, but she didn't wake up. She had a sad smile on her face. She was dreaming.

"I love you, Tai," she murmured. Joe felt that sadness bear down on him even more than before. He got up and practically ran from his room. He sat down on the couch, took off his glasses, and threw them on the table in front of him. _'You're a loner, Joe. The only girl that you could have possibly wanted has her heart taken. You can't have her. You aren't doing what you want to do in life and you won't have anyone to share your misery with. Sora's taken, man. You're her best friend now, but there was a time that you liked her. Loved her, even. It's too late now. There's no one for you, Joe. There's no one for you. You're going to grow old and die alone. Sure they may be a one night stand or two with no love involved, but for the rest of your life, you're going to be alone and unloved. Alone.'_

At this point, Joe put his face in his hands and began to cry.

*****************************************************************************************************

'_Where am I?_' Tai thought. It was night time and there were trees everywhere. There were a few birds and a lot of crickets chirping. There were flowers everywhere. '_It's our world. It's the world Sora and I created,'_ he realized. He began to run. He didn't know where, but he just felt like he needed to run. He ran past many, many trees until he came to a clearing. There was a huge pond that had crystal clear water in it. Right in the middle was an island with a huge weeping willow tree. Tai saw that there was a figure under it that looked remotely familiar. The person had their knees folded against their chest and seemed to be crying into folded arms.

"Sora?" he said, not sure if it was who he thought it was or not. The figure looked up and smiled.

"Tai!" Sora yelled. Her auburn hair seemed to shimmer in the moonlight. The water sparkled as a gentle breeze began to blow. The willow's branches began to sway in the breeze, creating a rippling effect in the clear water with it's gentle movements. Tai felt the breeze wrap around his body. He looked down and saw that he wasn't wearing anything, but he wasn't embarrassed. He loved Sora, and he wasn't about to let something like that keep him from her. He jumped into the pond and began to swim for the little island. 

"I'm coming, Sora! I love you so much! I'm so sorry for what I did!" he panted as he swam closer and closer. Sora was reaching out for him.

"I forgive you, Tai! I love you, too!" she called, still weeping. The weeping willow seemed to be crying with her, as if it was her comfort when Tai couldn't be there. He swam and swam. The water was warm, so it wasn't like he was swimming in ice or anything, but it was still a long way there. When he looked down, he could see the bottom of the pond, which was actually big enough to account for a lake. He kept swimming until he reached the little island. He climbed up on it's banks and looked longingly at Sora. The willow branches wrapped around her body in a protective manner, as if it were her mother. She was fully clothed and he was naked. A very obvious difference. He reached down and touched the ground. Where he had touched it, a flower sprouted. It was a beautiful mix of yellow and red, the colors of their crests. He smiled, picked it, and held it out to her.

"I'm so sorry, Sora. I don't know what I was thinking. Please, take this. I want you back in my arms. I'll die without you," he whispered, feeling tears coming up to his eyes. She smiled sadly.

"I'm dying without you, too, Tai. I love you," she whispered. He held out his arms to her and felt overwhelming joy when she ran into his arms. He closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of her hair. He opened them again to find that he was in a black tux. Sora was in a beautiful dress that seemed to be made out of a blue that matched moonbeams. There was a streak of red and yellow running through it. He smiled at the sight.

"I missed you so much. I know it's only been hours, but if feels like years," he said softly. Sora smiled tearily.

"Just kiss me, Tai," she whispered back. He grinned and kissed her, softly at first, then more and more passionately as seconds ticked on. Suddenly, the figure in his arms started to change. Sora's hair became darker and darker until it was as black as night. Her dress became a matching color. When Tai opened his eyes and looked at what he was holding in his arms, he gasped. Sora didn't have ice blue eyes. Sora didn't even look like this, but there was one person that he knew of that did.

Kara Ishya.

"NOOOO!!" he cried. Kara began to cackle.

"Come on, Tai. Take me. You know you want my body more than Sora's," she teased. Tai put his hands on his head.

"No! This can't be happening! I almost had her! Please God! Please, let this be a dream! Please!" Suddenly, the ground from underneath him formed into a hole and dropped down into an abyss of his own despair, screaming the whole way down. Screaming for his lost love.

Screaming for Sora.

******************************************************************************************************

"SORA!" he screamed. He bolted upright and looked around. He was in his bedroom. "Thank you, God," he whispered, glad that someone had answered his desperate pleas for help. Though it had been a nightmare, he was still shaken. He got up from his bed and walked over to a dresser mirror that Kari used every morning to get ready. He felt so broken. He was worse that when he had gone to bed. He felt like an empty shell. He felt incomplete without knowing Sora was always with him. He walked over to his coat and reached in one of the pockets, bringing out the silver cased Timex pocket watch. He flipped it over and ran his thumb over the three lines that meant the most to him.

_I'll never leave you_

_and I'll always love you_

_Tai and Sora forever___

_'She said she'd never leave you... You must have messed up bad, Taichi. Sora never makes a promise like that and then goes and breaks it for no reason. You hurt her badly.'_

Yes, he knew he had. He felt extremely sorry for it, too. He wasn't a man if he did that to her, and he knew that now. He just wanted her back at any costs. What if she had done something to get back at him?

_'Would you want her back, Tai?'_

He didn't care what she did, he just wanted her back in his arms. He just wanted her back. Tai looked behind him at the top bunk and saw his sister laying there asleep. She hadn't spoken a word to him when she came in, and he hadn't expected her to. His younger sister was extremely upset with him, and he knew she would be. Hikari was always protective of her friends, and Sora was no exception. Out of curiosity, Tai decided to take a look at his wings. They were a symbol of his and Sora's relationship, and he wanted to know what kind of shape they were in. He willed them to come out of his back and almost died when he saw them in the pale moonlight. They were molting. Feathers were lying _everywhere. _Tai looked into the mirror and gasped. They were bent and torn. That's what he felt inside. Bent and torn. Shattered and broken. He looked down and saw some of the feathers lying at his feet. He bent over slowly and picked one of them up. He looked at it and began to cry. It was a red feather. A crimson feather. It was red with his blood. Blood from his heart. Blood from all the tears he had shed. He knew this by some instinctive knowledge. He also knew that this was not just his blood. Somehow, he knew that this was Sora's blood, too. She had been bleeding tears with him. Taichi also knew something else that was much, much more disturbing. He knew what would happen if the two soul mates didn't get back together soon.

They would bleed themselves to death.

  
  


A/N: Man, this part turned out better than I thought. What the heck was Sora thinking? The key was, she wasn't. Poor girl. I feel so sorry for her. She's so confused, but it's not like Tai's got it all figured out, either. The person I feel the worst for in this one is Joe. He thinks he'll be alone for the rest of his life because he didn't get Sora when he had the chance. Poor guy. I feel so sorry for beating him up like that. Don't worry. The next part will be better. Am I still making a good story? Is it still good? I think it's getting sort of boring, but I will not say it sucks. I think the Endangering Forever portion of the How to Fly series are the best ones so far. I dunno, maybe not, but it's just an opinion.

I guess I could ask for 15 reviews, but I don't want to seem greedy (although I'm not). I am just asking for what you, my readers, are gracious enough to give me this time. So all I will say is please review. I will not force the reviews from you. Forgive me for my non-existent "greediness" and I will be grateful for any reviews you give me.

THANKS!

Artisan of the Written Word

a.k.a.

The Writer 


	4. Endangering Foever Part 4

ENDANGERING FOREVER: PART FOUR

(How to Fly Part Eleven)

A/N:Hey everyone! I'm back. Man, I got more reviews when I _didn't_ ask for them. Serves me right, I guess. Okay, here we go with the mumbo jumbo.

DEDICATION: To those who have lost all hope and think there is no way out, that there is no way to make things right again... There is a way, just open your eyes to see it.

DISCLAIMER: *holds up a sign that says: GO TO PART ONE* Hold up. I forgot that I don't own Oasis' "Don't Go Away" song. *snaps fingers in disappointment* 

WARNING: I'm not so sure about this. You've got your Taiora. You've got your Takari and Koumi. Then there's the Junato *dodges leftover fruitcake from Christmas being thrown*. Um, I don't _think_ there's going to be anything else. Let me tell you, people. I don't know what's going to happen. I found out as soon as my hands start typing. I basically don't know what happens until I'm done and I go and read it again. FREAK-Y, huh? There _will_ be angst, but I'm not sure to what extent.

Okay, this part should be _pretty_ good, especially toward the end, if I carry out what I've got in mind. 

BY THE WAY: I'm going to do a fic when this series is done that will answer all questions about the How to Fly series, so if you've got questions, post them in the reviews. It'll be a while before I'll post the fic that answers your questions, but it should be _that_ long. You can put your question(s) about ANY of the How to Fly series. That means:

How to Fly Part 1

How to Fly Part 2

How to Fly Part 3

How to Fly Part 4

Blind Love Part 1

Blind Love Part 2

Blind Love Part 3

And the Endangering Forever story arc (however many parts that will be)

Endangering Forever will NOT be the last fics in this series (I know, I know. Just put an end to it, right?), but you can post questions about what I've done so far. I'll answer the questions that are already on the reviews, too. 

Okay, NOW you can read.

  
  


ENDANGERING FOREVER: PART FOUR

  
  


"Dear God, help me," Tai whispered tearily. This was just too much. He wanted, no, he _needed_ Sora back, or they both would die. How could he get her back, though? He was hoping that he could just say sorry and I love you and she would fly back into his arms, but he knew Sora wasn't like that. She had wounds inflicted on her by herself, her mother, her father, and now Tai, the one person who had promised never to hurt her. What could he do, however, that would undo the wrong he had done? Well, nothing could undo it, but he could try to make it right. What was one thing that Sora loved him for doing? He wasn't sure. Maybe that wasn't the right way to phrase the question. What did Sora love about him? That was a better question, but the answer wasn't exactly clear. 

'_Is there anything about me to love anymore? I'm a monster without a cause,'_ he thought bitterly. He tried to retract his wings, but it was a little bit more difficult. The broken wings were still bloody, which could have possibly contributed to Tai's problem. He tried again, this time concentrating more, and finally retracted them. This time, however, he almost screamed in agony. It was hurting him. Badly. 

'_I'm paying for my mistake, Sora. I'm paying dearly._

He grabbed his head and fell to his knees, stifling a scream. His back was on fire with the pain, but there was nothing he could do but wait it out. Finally, the fire went out and he could stand, but not without difficulty. Tai went to his dresser, grabbed a shirt, put it on, and shuffled toward the living room. He started to go to the kitchen, but stopped. His stomach was growling with hunger, but a brief thought crossed through his mind. '_You don't deserve to eat._' Tai nodded, as if the voice actually belonged to a person. The truth was, he was too disgusted with what he had done to even think about eating food. He turned his body away from the kitchen and walked slowly toward the couch. When he got there, he sat down and began to think.

_'It's not my sense of humor, because she used to tell me that it was stupid, even though she DID laugh at some of my jokes. She's mentioned before that my muscles make all the girls envy her for having me, but she doesn't _love_ me for that, does she? She's mentioned that I'm sweet, caring, and loving, but I bet that image has been destroyed. What have I done to cheer her up before? Something that she's asked me to do before. What could it be?' _

His thinking made him think he was helpless. Unfortunately, he was. He was weak and helpless. He put his face in his hands and thought until he was sure his brain would explode. What did a lot of guys do to get their girls back? He thought and thought. No flowers. That wasn't his _or_ Sora's style. Finally, he gave up. He didn't want to, but it seemed so hopeless. 

'_You can't give up, Taichi. Your life depends on it.' _Then, a more terrifying thought hit him. 'Her_ life depends on it.'_ That was enough to set him to thinking again. His life seemed expendable now, but Sora was someone who deserved to see the good that lied ahead of her after all of the bad that lied behind her. But what could he do for her? His mind began to wander. He began to think about the hospital, when he had spent as much time as he could at Sora's side. He remembered her crying and he began to sing to her. He remembered how they had both fell asleep, her in his arms. Then he remembered when Doctor Kessler had come in..... Something clicked in his mind. 

'_Back up, Taichi. What did you do to calm her crying?'_ Sing! That was it! He sang to her! Tai almost jumped up for joy, but pain shot up through his back. '_I thought that pain had passed... Am I going to have to live like this until I get her back?'_ he asked himself. 

_'You don't deserve to get better and you don't deserve Sora. You don't deserve to eat, either. You've done the kind of thing that makes you want to die, but you can't because it's more of a punishment to live.' _

Tai nodded slowly in agreement with the voice in his head, which was most certainly his own ill mind. He was beginning to let himself take these self-destroying thoughts that his mind was dishing out at him. He was becoming weak without Sora. He couldn't help but wonder if she was becoming weak without him. Was she? He hoped not. If she was feeling any of the pain he was, it was too much for him to think about. What was the best way to sing to her and win her heart back? He began to think again. 

Matt! 

He ran to the phone and picked it up. He looked at the clock and gaped at the time. '_2:30! Matt is going to kill me, but he'll just have to deal with it.' _It ringed three times before someone picked up.

"Hello?" a groggy voice said. Tai froze. This was Mr. Ishida, not Matt.

"Sorry to disturb you, Mr. Ishida, but is Matt there? I really need to talk to him," Tai said sheepishly. Mr. Ishida grunted.

"MATT! Get on this damn phone. Someone calling at this hour... must be... important," he said slowly, his speech slurred by his fatigue. There was a click as one phone picked up and another as the other was hung up.

"Helllooo?" a voice asked sleepily.

"Matt! It's me, Tai!" He wasn't sure if Matt realized it, but Tai could have sworn Matt growled.

"What do you want, you idiot? It's 2:30 in the freakin' morning. To make things worse, you were _already_ on my bad side," he said lowly, his tone threatening. Tai gulped.

"I know, I know. Please, I need your help," he said softly, trying to dissuade any harsh words that could be said between them. He heard Matt snort laughter.

"What? You want me to call Kara and ask her if she still wants to sleep with you?" he jeered. Tai grit his teeth.

"Stop it, Matt! You're not helping," he said, his tone going from soft to threatening. Matt laughed again.

"Yeah, like _you_ did," he said haughtily. Tai sighed deeply, hurt by Matt's words. He was actually hurt more by the _truth_ in the words than he was by the person that said them.

"I need your help to get Sora back." Matt's mouth dropped open.

"You expect _me_ to help you? After how shook up Sora was? She couldn't stop crying, man!" he said loudly. Tai felt the tears well up in his own eyes. She _was_ hurting.

"I'm sorry for what I've done... I don't know what I was thinking. I need your help, Matt, please!" he cried frantically.

"I don't know. You've hurt her pretty bad Tai." Tai clenched his teeth.

"I thought you were my best friend and would try to help me get her back," he growled. He heard Matt sigh.

"I am your best friend, but you screwed up big time."

"I know I have. Believe me, I'm paying for it," he said as some pain shot through his back like lightning, causing him to almost yelp in pain. He arched his back until the pain stopped. 

"Fine. For Sora and you, because you're both my best friends." Tai felt himself almost smile for the first time since he had left the party.

"Okay, I'll see you in a sec. Meet you in the park?" He heard Matt start laughing.

"You mean... Right now, in the park? What? Are you out of your mind?" he asked, still laughing a little. Tai didn't do so much as crack a smile.

"Yes, right now. I'll see you there," and with that, Tai slammed down the phone, grabbed his coat, put on his shoes, and ran out the door. 

Little did he know that Kari had awaken during his conversation with Matt and knew where he was going. She tiptoed to the coat rack, put on a coat over her pajamas, hastily put on her shoes, and quietly chased after Tai out the door.

******************************************************************************************************

"Hey Matt! I thought you'd never get here!" Tai called as he saw his friend. Matt ran up to him and scowled.

"Well, I can't exactly run fast after I get up. At least I'm here," he said sullenly. His hair was a mess, looking much like T.K.'s with his hat off. Tai's wasn't exactly fashion show material, either, but neither of the boys had figured their looks of much importance. Neither of them noticed a small brown haired girl move behind some bushes. 

"That's a good thing. All right. I think I know what to do to get her back." Matt brought a hand out of his pocket and made a gesture that told him to continue. "I'm going to sing to her," he said slowly, watching Matt carefully, trying to gauge his response. At first, Matt just stood there. Then he lifted an eyebrow skeptically, and then the laughter came. Tai just scowled while Matt started into a mad fit of laughter. Tai impatiently tapped his foot and glared at his best friend. Finally, Matt began to get himself under control, but he had laughed so hard that he now had a stitch in his side and he was holding his stomach with both hands.

"Um, Tai. That may not be a good idea. I've heard you sing and, sorry to tell ya, but you're awful," he said, still trying to stifle laughter. Tai narrowed his eyes.

"When was the last time you heard me sing?" he asked flatly. Matt looked up, thinking. 

"I believe... Well, I think it was when we were, like, thirteen or something. Wow, that's longer than I thought, but you're still awful," he said. Tai seemed indifferent.

"And how much has my voice changed since then?" he asked, his tone still flat. Matt shifted his weight from foot to foot.

"I'd say not much, but enough to make you sound like a man, not a boy," he answered finally. Tai lifted an eyebrow.

"So you're agreeing that maybe my voice has changed enough to make me able to sing?" he asked. Matt smiled.

"I agree with you, but I don't believe that you can sing. You were pretty awful and it takes a big change to make a difference in your singing voice." Tai frowned.

"Sora said I couldn't sing, too. She called me a duck once, but I knew she liked it. I've been like that for about three years now," he said. Matt frowned slightly.

"Sorry, but I still don't believe you," he said quietly. Tai straightened his back proudly, causing a little pain.

"What? You want me to prove it?" he asked arrogantly. Matt matched Tai's proud pose.

"Why not? I wouldn't want you to kill her with your voice," he said, just as arrogantly. Tai winced. '_She'll die with or without my voice, Matt.'_ He sighed.

"What do you want me to sing?" Matt thought.

"Whatever you want." Tai shrugged his shoulders nervously.

"A cold and frosty morning. There's not a lot to say about the things caught in my mind," he sang softly, a little embarrassed. Matt crossed his arms and waited for Tai to go on. Kari, still behind the bushes and still unnoticed, listened to her brother's voice curiously. She didn't remember hearing him sing, so she was just as curious as Matt. "As the day was dawning, my plane flew away with all the things caught in my mind." Tai was bright red now. Matt seemed a little impressed. "And I wanna be there when you're coming down, and I wanna be there when you hit the ground. So don't go away, say what you say, but say that you'll stay forever and a day... in the time of my life, cuz I need more time, yes I need more time just to make things right." Tai stopped, hoping that Matt wouldn't start to laugh at him. In his state of mind, that would have been too much. Instead, Matt's mouth was hanging open, along with the unseen Kari. His voice was not the hideous noise that would remind you of nails on a chalk board. It was soothing to the mind. 

"Wow. Well, you proved me wrong," he said finally. Tai felt like smiling, but a picture of Sora crying popped up in his head and totally obliterated the idea.

"Told ya," he said. Matt smiled.

"Okay. So how do you want me to help you?" Tai shrugged.

"I dunno. That's why I'm asking you," he replied casually. Matt rolled his eyes and sat down on a nearby bench. 

"Okay. Lemme think. Um, let's see..." he said, beginning to think. Tai watched him nervously, hoping he would come up with some brilliant plan. For once, Tai's mind wasn't the one reeling for a plan, but Matt's. Finally, Matt snapped his fingers. "How would you like to sing with my band?" he asked. Tai waved his hands, trying to dissuade the idea.

"No! I will not sing in front of people!" he said frantically. Matt looked up at him from his spot on the bench with angry eyes.

"Do you want her back or not?" Tai put his hands at his sides and made his face become eerily emotionless. Inside, however, the storm of feelings was enough to rip him apart, and as he had found out earlier that evening, it actually was. He was literally being ripped apart. 

"I need her, Matt."

"Then you'll sing," Matt said assertively. Tai sighed.

"Anything for her." Matt nodded, accepting his answer. Tai looked away, thoughts of Sora filling his mind. He could actually picture her crying, and it hurt him deeply.

"Is New Year's Eve soon enough?" Tai whirled back around and faced Matt. The blonde haired boy's face contorted in confusion. There was fear written on Tai's face. Actually, it was more like terror or something, and Matt had no idea why Tai would be like that. 

Tai's mind was racing. He had only been apart from Sora about six hours and he was showing the signs of dying already. How was she doing? He could only imagine. How was this affecting her? He shuddered to think that Matt's offer may be too late.

"If that's as early as you can get it, fine." Matt stood up and smiled at Tai, who still had the fear etched into his face. 

"Good. I'll tell the rest of them tomorrow. What are you going to sing, Tai? Something good, I hope. That one you just did would kind of fit, you know," he said. Tai shook his head.

"No. I'm going to do a song that's much more fitting, I think."

"What would that be? I need to know so we can practice for it." Tai sighed.

"Bent," he said quietly. Matt rolled his eyes into his head, a gesture that would suggest he was thinking. 

"Oh, yeah! That's got deep meaning in it, Tai. I'm sure it will work," he said cheerfully. Tai didn't smile.

"I can only hope," he said softly. 

"It'll work, Tai." Tai and Matt both whirled around to find the origin of the voice. Their mouths both dropped open to see Kari.

"What are you doing here?" Tai asked angrily. Kari stepped out from behind the bushes.

"Following you. Sora was hurting tonight Tai, but I want you to know that she's not the only one you hurt. The look in her eyes says that she'll take you back in an instant. Don't blow your chances with her, Tai," the young girl said. Tai looked at her with narrowed eyes. Ironic how he had lived longer than she had, but she seemed to have the wisdom of experience that he didn't.

"Thanks, Kari. I know I hurt you, too," he said, staring down at his shoes. Kari sighed.

"Not just me. Am I right, Matt?" she asked, directing her question to the other boy. 

"She's right." Tai winced.

"Joe, Mimi, Matt, _Izzy_ even. T.K., too. He, along with the rest of us, couldn't understand why you did it, and that hurt us more than anything. You hurt me and most of all, you hurt Sora. Jun even seemed angry, but I think her anger was directed at Kara more than you. But I forgive you, Tai. I love you, and I can't stay mad at you forever." She smiled sadly at him, turned around slowly, and began to walk home. She suddenly stopped mid stride and stood still. "By the way, Tai. Her mother knows." Tai snapped his head up to see his sister continuing her walk home. Tai felt that someone had just punched him in the stomach. If Sora's mother knew, then there was the slight possibility that Tai would have to win her love, too. Something that he didn't want to do if it killed him. He turned around and looked at Matt, who just stood there.

"Thank you, Matt. Thanks for being my friend," Tai said. Matt just smiled.

"Hey, that's what I'm for, right?" Tai tried to strain a smile, but it wouldn't come. 

"I'll see you tomorrow," Tai said. Matt laughed.

"It already is tomorrow. 2:30, remember? I'll see you _later_," he corrected. Tai waved off his correction.

"Yeah, yeah." With that, he ran after Kari. He finally caught up with each other, and neither said another word to each other, both afraid that they would make themselves cry if they said anything at all. 

****************************************************************************************************** 

Sora turned over onto her stomach and took a deep breath. She flipped over again and opened her eyes. She looked in the direction of her clock, but was stunned not to see it. She bolted upright in the bed and looked at it. This wasn't her bed! Her sheets were white, not blue, and her bed wasn't this big, either. She saw her clothes weren't her own either, suggesting she did something she shouldn't have the night before. She looked around her to find a young man sitting in a chair reading a book.

"_Joe???_" she asked incredulously. Joe looked up at her and smiled.

"Good morning, Sunshine. You're finally awake," he said cheerfully. Sora just looked at him blankly. Brief confusion crossed his face. "Don't you remember how you got here?"

"Not exactly. In fact, I don't remember anything about last night," she said slowly. Joe's face immediately became downcast. 

"You will." She just looked at him curiously and began to think. Suddenly, all of her memories flooded into her mind at once. Kara's party. Tai. Matt holding her. Her mother crying. The park. Ken. Joe. Sora gasped and put a hand up to her mouth.

"Oh...my... God...." she whispered. Joe watched in sympathy as she began to cry, obviously remembering what happened the night before.

"It's okay, Sora. We didn't do anythi-"

"You didn't, but I did! I'm just as bad as Tai is! I can't believe I did that! Oh, Joe!" she cried, now shaking from her sobs. Joe got up from his chair, threw his book behind him, and walked briskly to her side.

"It's okay. It really is. That wasn't the Sora I know last night, and I think you agree with me. It'll be okay," he said quietly, now sitting beside her with an arm wrapped comfortably around her shoulders. She buried her head into his shoulders, letting the sobs without hindrance. Ten minutes passed, and, finally, Sora's crying stopped. She lifted her head from Joe's shoulder, her eyes puffy and red. He smiled at her. "You want something to eat?" Sora nodded, hiccuping as a result of her seemingly endless crying spell. He nodded, got up from the bed, and ran out of his room. She stared into space, remembering with frightening clarity. Sora felt like she could burst into tears again, but just then, Joe waltzed into the room, carrying a tray with him. It had your typical lumberjack's breakfast, although Sora was no lumberjack. Joe laughed at the look on her face. "I just thought you might be hungry," he said with a grin. Sora nodded hesitantly.

"Yeah, but not _that_ hungry. Did you fix all of that for me, Joe?" she asked. He nodded. "Thank you, but don't be offended if I can't eat it all." Joe set the tray down on Sora's lap and put his hands on his hips.

"You had better, Sora Takenouchi! Doctor's orders!" he said, shaking a finger at her furiously. Sora laughed and put up her hands in defense.

"Okay, okay. I'll _try_ to eat it all," she said. Joe smiled.

"Good. Um, Sora? Do you want me to call your mom?" he asked. Sora's fork stopped in mid-dive for her plate. She looked at Joe wearily.

"Go ahead. I'll talk to her, if you want. She has a tendency to... suspect things, and it might be better if I talk to her," she answered finally. Joe shook his head.

"Nah, I'll talk to her." Sora shrugged.

"Suit yourself. I bet she doesn't care," she said under her breath, but Joe heard it with a frown.

"Stop beating yourself up, Sora. She does care," he said quietly and left the room again. He padded toward the kitchen quickly and picked up the phone. "Hey, Sora! What's your number?" he called. Sora called it back to him and he dialed it in simultaneously. Someone on the other end picked up almost immediately.

"Hello? Is this about Sora?" the voice asked frantically. Joe smiled smugly. He knew Sora's mother would care. He would take great pride in saying 'I told you so'. 

"Um, actually it is. This is Joe Kido, Ms. Takenouchi. From last night? I just wanted to tell you that Sora's all right. She came to see me last night, and she fell asleep. She'll be home soon."

"She's all right?!?" the frantic woman exclaimed. 

"Mmhmm. She's fine."

"Just as long as she's all right. Thank you, Joe. Can I speak to her?" Joe looked up to see Sora standing in the doorway. He looked at her questioningly and Sora shook her head furiously. She put her hands together against the side of her head and tilted it sideways, trying to tell him to tell him she was "asleep". Joe sighed and nodded.

"No, Sora's still asleep. I'll tell her to call you as soon as she wakes up." 

"No, don't do that. I'm going to be at the flower shop today, so you just tell her that I'll see her as soon as I get home." Joe nodded as if she could see him.

"I'll do that. Bye." With that, Joe slammed down the phone and glared at Sora. "She was worried to death about you, and you can even _speak_ to her?" She stood still, not faltering under Joe's heated gaze. 

"I could, but then I'd be bombarded with questions of what I did with you last night, and I can't take that right now." Joe sighed and finally nodded, accepting her answer. 

"Did you finish your breakfast?" he asked finally. Sora shook her head. She saw the mock anger flood onto Joe's face, and she waved her hands, trying to dissuade his "Angry Doctor" lecture.

"I was just seeing how the phone call was doing. I'm going to go back and finish it right now," she said, turning on her heels. Joe smiled.

"Good." He watched her walking, but was a little alarmed when she wavered in her step, as if she was dizzy or weak. Joe brushed it off, however, when she recovered and walked straight into his room. He walked over to the couch, flopped down, and began to flip channels. He got up to go check on Sora. He entered his room and smiled. She had eaten all of her breakfast, and was now fast asleep. As Joe picked up the tray, he noticed that her eyes were puffy and red, the result of crying. He frowned immediately. She had cried herself to sleep again. He put the tray up and flopped back down on the couch, watching the news. In the back of his mind, however, that sadness that had made him cry until about 3:00 the night before beared down on his conscience, making him want to cry again. However, Sora was likely up and he didn't want her to see him in that state. He had to be strong, even when it was hard. 

But the prospect of being alone forever was something that could make the strongest man cry.

******************************************************************************************************

Ms. Takenouchi ran around her apartment in a hurried attempt to grab things for work. She opened the door to leave, but there was a young girl, Sora's age, that had been there the night before.

"Hello, Ms. Takenouchi. Is Sora here? I was going to take her out shopping," the girl said cheerfully. Ms. Takenouchi sighed.

"No, she's not, Mimi. She disappeared last night, but a boy named... Joe, I believe, called this morning and told me that she had spent the night there." Mimi's mouth dropped open.

"Joe Kido?" Ms. Takenouchi nodded.

"I'm sorry, dear, but I've got to get to work," she said, brushing by Mimi. She waved good bye, but was deep in thought. Sora spent the night at Joe's? What if they....?

"I'll kill him," she said angrily as she hurriedly began to make her way to Joe's apartment. She didn't know which apartment number he was in, but she did know the apartment complex. Sighing, she realized that she'd have to use the same method that Sora had the night before.

*****************************************************************************************************

The doorbell rang soon after 9:00 at the Kido residence. Joe hurried to the door to open it before the person ringing the doorbell woke up Sora. He opened it and smiled in pleasant surprise.

"Hey, Mi-" He didn't get to finish before Mimi jumped inside the door and tackled him to the floor.

"You took advantage of her, you bastard! You couldn't even _wait_ until she got over Tai! I-CAN'T-BELIEVE-YOU- JOE- KIDO!!!" she screamed, slapping him across the face on every syllable. His hands flew up to his face in both pain and shock.

"Mimi! Nothing happened, I swear!" he protested. She got off of him, jerking him to his feet by his shirt with amazing strength. 

"Mimi?" a soft voice asked. It was Sora shuffling through the hall, her hands on her head as if she had a tremendous headache. Joe noticed that she was wavering a bit in her step, as if drunk. 

"OH! Nothing happened, huh, Joe? Then why is she wearing your clothes?!" she said, pressing her face close to his. Joe put up his hands in defense.

"Mimi! Let him go!" Sora cried. Mimi looked at her friend and complied, letting go of Joe's shirt. He let out a sigh of relief and brushed himself off. He closed the door that Mimi had failed to in her rush to strangle him. "He didn't do anything! If anybody did something, it was me!" she moaned. Mimi found it strange that the sweet and innocent Sora she had always known had brought on something this bad. Sora was so nice that she couldn't have done anything with Joe, could she?

"What are you talking about? You're staggering around like he got you drunk or something!" she exclaimed. Sora glared at her. She walked across the room and put herself between Joe and Mimi. 

"He didn't drug me. Does that sound like the Joe you know? He was taking care of me. I don't feel well, that's all," she growled, but was trying to reassure herself more than she was Mimi. Something was wrong with her. She felt _horrible._ Mimi sighed and crossed her arms.

"I guess not." She turned away from Joe and mumbled something while looking at her fingernails. 

"What?" he asked, honestly not hearing what she said.

"I said I'm sorry, okay? I guess I got a little.... carried away, that's all," she said, turning back around to face Joe. He smirked.

"Just a tad," he said, but tried not to rub it into Mimi's already-hurt pride. Suddenly, Sora swayed, but Joe caught her. "Sora? Are you okay?" Sora nodded.

"Yeah, I'm just... tired. Mimi, if you'll sit down..." Sora paused and sighed as she stood up on her own. "I'll tell you everything," she said finally. Joe looked a little worried.

"You sure, Sora?" She nodded. "Fine. I need to go down to the convenience store for something to drink. You two want something?" Both of them shook their heads. "Okay, then. I'll be back in a bit." They both waved after him as he went out. Sora noticed that he had gotten dressed while she had been asleep. Mimi turned from the door to Sora.

"Now what is going on here?" she asked. Sora sighed.

"Sit down." They both proceeded to go to Joe's couch and both sat down facing each other. "Do you want the whole version or the Reader's Digest?" Mimi gave her a "well duh" look, and Sora nodded. "Okay, well, last night, after you all left, I cried for about an hour. I got up and decided to go to the park to get some air. I saw that kid named Ken, you remember him? You know, the younger digidestined?" Mimi nodded and Sora continued. "Anyway, I talked to him for a bit and he left, but I still needed to talk to someone. I didn't know your hotel room number-"

"They would have given it to you at the front desk," Mimi said softly. Sora sighed impatiently.

"Well, I didn't think they would. Everyone else lived too far away or wouldn't be home. I didn't want to talk to Jun, so I decided to go to Joe's."

"You knew his apartment number?" Mimi asked incredulously. Sora shook her head and instantly saw the downcast look on Mimi's face. 

"I knocked until I found it," Sora explained, but frowned at Mimi's expression. Her look seemed to be saying _'Why didn't you do that so you could find me?'_ but Sora was in no mood to answer the unasked question. "He came to the door wearing nothing but a towel. He said that he had been in the shower-"

"I knew you did something! I knew it!" Mimi exclaimed, cutting Sora off. She gave Mimi an angry glare.

"Stop that! I'll tell you what happened, okay? Any-_way, _I came in while he went to go finish his shower because he had soap in his hair and everything. That's when I...I..." but she couldn't seem to get the words out. 

"It's okay, Sora. Go ahead and finish. I promise not to interrupt, okay?" Sora nodded, but wasn't sure if she _wanted_ to tell the rest.

"I went in his room and stripped down to nothing." The look on Mimi's face went from compassionate and concerned to shocked and bemused, but as she had promised, she didn't interrupt. "He came in there and I... I tried to seduce him." The look of bemusement on Mimi's face went to worry. "I finally talked him into it, and we were going to, but I said..." Sora started to cry, but didn't really take any notice. "I said 'I love you, Tai' and Joe stopped right then and there. He said he knew... He said..." Sora began to cry harder and was now dimly aware of it. "He said that he knew I was pretending he was Tai." Then, Sora burst out into loud, hysterical sobs. Mimi scooted closer to her friend and hugged her.

"It's okay, Sora," she whispered, but Sora shook her head furiously.

"I cheated on Tai! I cheated on him!" Mimi took Sora's shoulders with her hands and shook her gently.

"Stop it, Sora. It's only cheating when you're going out with them. When you threw that ring down, you broke up with him. It's time you realize that," she said softly. This only made Sora cry harder.

"But I didn't _want_ to lose him! I didn't want to go without him! I can't live without him! I might as well kill myself now and get it over with!" she wailed. Mimi's expression became angry.

"Don't you _dare_ kill yourself, Sora. None of us would be able to live with it. If you kill yourself, I promise that I'll... I'll.... I'll do _something_, anyway. But don't kill yourself, Sora. Nobody is worth that," she scolded. Sora just looked at Mimi blankly.

"You don't understand! I love him! He's the only thing that kept me alive!" she shrieked. Just then, Joe walked back in and gasped.

"Sora? Are you okay?" he asked for the second time that morning. Sora just buried her face into her hands, sobbing hysterically. Mimi looked at him, as if asking for help. Joe shrugged, not knowing what to do. He wished he could comfort her, but he wasn't sure how. Suddenly, Sora wrenched herself out of Mimi's grip and stood up, still weeping. Mimi reached out for her, but Sora slapped her hand away with tremendous strength, causing the pink haired girl to yelp in pain. Joe dropped his bag of snacks and rushed over to Sora, but stepped back when Sora got down in a fighting position.

"Don't you _dare_ touch me. Don't tell me it's going to be all right, either," she growled, but she was still crying. 

"Just calm down, Sora. Nobody wants to hurt you," Joe said quietly. Sora stood there for at least a minute or two. Finally, she straightened herself out and put her head in her hands. She started to sob again. "Don't cry... please," he pleaded, but all to no avail. Sora brushed by him and ran into his room, slamming the door shut behind her. Joe looked at Mimi sadly.

"I'm sorry I accused you of... taking advantage of her, Joe," she said finally. Joe just waved it off.

"I can understand." He walked back over to his snacks and picked them up. "What do we do now? My brother should be home soon, and it'll be impossible to explain the girl in my clothes in my bed." Mimi sighed.

"I was going to take her shopping. If you were wondering, her mom's the one that told me where she was. I had to knock on all the doors to find you, but I finally did. Maybe I can still convince her to go shopping. Can I use your phone, Joe?" He nodded.

"Be my guest. Who you gonna call?" he asked through a mouthful of beef jerky. Mimi rolled her eyes at his manners.

"Kari. I want her to come too, since she was pretty shaken up," she explained as she flipped through the phone book to find the number. Joe nodded, but then seemed hesitant.

"You could invite Jun." Mimi looked up from dialing the number into the phone.

"I guess I could. She was there for Sora, too," she said quietly. Joe sat down on a stool near the kitchen and watched Mimi talk with hand gestures on the phone. She hung up soon after the conversation started. "Kari can, so now I've got to find Jun, right?" Joe simply nodded and finished off the stick of beef jerky in hand. Mimi flipped through the phone book with the speed of a pro and landed right on the M's. She found Jun's number and dialed it quickly. "Hello, this is Mimi. Is Jun there? No, Kari is _not_ here, so would you please let me talk to Jun?" Joe laughed quietly, knowing that Davis had been the one to pick up the phone. Mimi had a short conversation with someone else and hung up the phone. 

"Well?"

"She can come, too. I gave them both your apartment number. I hope you don't mind," she said apologetically. Joe laughed.

"The more the merrier," he said with a mischievous grin. Mimi caught on to what he was thinking and punched him playfully.

"You just watch what you're doing, Joe Kido," she said, but she was laughing, too. They both stopped abruptly, causing instant silence. Then, the sound of Sora's crying filled the air. They both bowed their heads in sorrow, not knowing what could cure the broken heart of their best friend. There was only one person that could cure it, and his name was Taichi Kamiya.

******************************************************************************************************

"Where are you going, Kari?" Tai asked as he laboriously got out of his bed, not caring what time it was. Kari was hustling around the room. She was already dressed to his surprise. She usually slept in on days like this. 

"With Mimi. She asked me if I wanted to go to the mall with her and I said yes," Kari answered. Tai perked up almost instantly.

"Is Sora going?" he asked anxiously. Kari glanced at him nervously.

"You can't go, Tai. You've caused her enough pain already," she said finally. Tai's face seemed to melt into sadness.

"But you don't understand, Kari. I'm going to die without her, and she's going to die without me," he said quietly. Kari just looked at him. "And I mean literally." The look on her face went from disbelief to worry, but she said nothing. "Let me ask you this, Kari. Let's say you and T.K. are in love-"

"We are, Tai." He sighed impatiently.

"Fine. You love him, but let's say he does... what I did. Would you forgive him?" Kari looked away from him, pondering the question.

"Yes." Tai sat back down on his bed.

"But let's say that you couldn't see each other and you couldn't tell him that you forgave him. He's laying in his bed, crying his eyes out. The more he cries, the sicker he gets. The more time he spends without you, the sicker he gets. Let's say that he dies. What would you do?" Kari looked back at her brother and frowned.

"Well, I'd probably die the same way he did," she said finally. Tai reached out, grabbed his sister's arm, and pulled her close to him.

"What do you think is happening to me?" he whispered. The look in Kari's eyes went to fear in nothing flat. 

"But you still can't go, Tai. Today is December 26th, right? Okay, that means that New Year's Eve is only five days away. Can you make it until then?" she asked. Tai shook his head and let go of her arm.

"I don't know." Kari shuddered at the thought of Tai dying.

"I'm gone, Tai. I'll see you later."

"Yeah, maybe," he answered back. She ran out the door of her room and out of the apartment, her head filled with nightmares of her brother dying a slow, painful death.

******************************************************************************************************

DECEMBER 26TH

With the combined forces of Jun, Kari, Mimi, and Joe, they all dragged Sora out of his room. They made her get dressed, and finally, they left for the mall. They shopped and shopped to their heart's content, but it was all Sora could do to keep from crying. At one point, Mimi had pulled Sora aside. "Shopping is the best kind of therapy, Sora. Maybe you should give it a try!" she had exclaimed. Sora had simply shook her head and brushed Mimi's hand off of her. They shopped until 6:30 that night. All of them dog-tired, but only one of them upset. Jun, Mimi, and Kari noticed that Sora didn't seem to be able to walk well, but just chalked it up to fatigue.

Tai had stayed in bed all day, wondering what to do next. The girls wouldn't let him near Sora, nor would some of the guys. He had to find a way to get to her before New Year's Eve, but he just couldn't figure out how. Sora was the only one that filled his thoughts, and he knew that he needed her badly. That night, when his mother had called him to dinner, it had taken him five minutes to get out of bed. His shoulders were killing him, and it was becoming hard for him to walk. He was hungry from not eating all day, so he went to dinner, but that same voice in his head said, '_You don't deserve to eat,'_ , so he didn't.

DECEMBER 27TH

Sora spent all day at the flower shop, tending to flowers that she would have rather just wilted so she didn't have to work. It was hard for her to concentrate and it was a little harder for her to walk than the day before. Mimi had called and told her that she would be staying until after New Year's and that there was a party New Year's Eve that Matt had invited them all to. Sora had turned the offer down, but Mimi had informed her that she was going because she had already told Matt yes. Sora became extremely angry with her, but finally agreed. Maybe it would do her some good to go out. That night, however, she wept until 1:30, when no more tears would come.

Tai had laid in bed as long as he could until his father had gotten him up, asking why he hadn't gone to see Sora. Tai had grimly said "We're taking a time out," and had left it that. His shoulders felt like they were broken, and his legs felt weak. Every time he moved, his head would swirl with dizziness, but he never let on. Kari watched him carefully, not sure if she should take what Tai said seriously. She had called T.K. numerous times so he could console her. He even came over, but even his gentle words could not take away the worrying effect that Tai's words had on her. They had talked about the New Year's Eve party, but that was about as light as the conversation had gotten. That night, after not eating all day, Tai went to dinner, but to add to his sister's worry, refused to eat.

DECEMBER 28TH

Matt went to go see Sora with Jun at his side, much to Sora's surprise. She hadn't expected their relationship to last even that long. Jun and Matt saw how Sora was carrying herself, as if she had been injured in an accident. They asked how she was, and she told them she was as happy as she could get tending flowers, but Matt had told her that she looked like she was tending her broken heart, not the flowers. Sora had waited until they left to start crying again. That night, Sora's mother went to go check on her after the hard day she had spent in the flower shop, but was upset to hear her daughter tossing restlessly. When she had stopped twisting and turning, Ms. Takenouchi could have sworn her daughter was calling Tai's name in her sleep. 

T.K. came over again to the Kamiya apartment, trying to get Kari to stop worrying about her brother. She, however, would not comply to his pleading. Tai took fifteen minutes to get out of bed this time, and it wasn't long before he returned to it, saying he was extremely tired. He would break out in a cold sweat while he was sleeping. That night, he was called to dinner after sleeping all day, meaning he had not had anything else to eat. T.K. was joining them in an effort to see if what Kari claimed Tai was doing to himself was true. Sure enough, Tai sat down at the table, but refused to eat any of the food. T.K. asked him what was going on, and Tai had simply replied, "I'm dying without her." That night, he had the nightmare again that he had before. This time, Kara didn't appear in his arms, however. This time, when Tai was holding Sora, he died in her loving embrace.

DECEMBER 29TH

Sora's mother, who had noticed the way Sora was walking and how pale she looked, had decided to let Sora spend the day at home. Sora, however, had voiced her protests so strongly that her mother had caved in to letting her work. Joe came by at about noon, asking how she was. She told him she was fine, but he knew differently. He bought a yellow rose and gave it to her before he left, telling her that she hoped she knew that it meant that he would be there whenever she needed him. She had given a simple nod, and he had left. Miraculously, she went the rest of the work day without crying, but once she entered her bedroom that night, she had started to cry hysterically. She didn't stop until 3:00 that morning.

Tai felt really weak and couldn't get out of bed on his own. His sister scolded him for not eating, but he didn't listen to her. She had asked him if he was becoming anorexic, and he had laughed. "No, sis. I'm just getting what I deserve," he had told her, and Kari was none too happy with his answer. She called Matt, Joe, and Izzy, hoping that they could help her, but none of them had any ideas. Izzy came over soon after she had called. He had gasped at the sight that had become their courageous leader. Kari told him everything that had happened, and Izzy told her that he was suffering from a severe case of grief. As for the eating, he had told her that he was probably eating when she wasn't looking. Kari had told him that she had watched Tai very, very carefully, and he hadn't eaten a thing. That night Tai went to dinner, with the help of his sister, but refused to eat anything. Kari had taken him back to bed, but she had told him that he needed to eat soon or there wouldn't be anything left of him to forgive. Tai had just shrugged her hands off of him and gone to sleep almost immediately. During the night, Kari woke up to her brother's frightened voice calling Sora. She painfully closed her eyes as he started to cry, "You said you wouldn't leave me!" She had cried herself to sleep soon after that.

DECEMBER 30TH

Mimi came over to Sora's house after hearing that her mother had made her stay home from work that day. She took the heartbroken girl shopping again, this time looking for a dress that would suit the upcoming occasion. Sora would casually glance at some of the items Mimi ooed and awed over, but never did pay attention. Her mind kept floating to Tai and how she wished she was in his arms right then. Mimi tried tirelessly to get Sora's mind off of him, describing the dresses they were looking at in her best oh-gee-it's-water less-cookware!! voice, but she still couldn't get the red head's attention. Finally, Mimi had decided a red dress that would make Sora give Cindy Crawford competition, but still, she showed no gratitude. Mimi didn't ever give up, however, and got a laugh out of the girl when she ran up to a guy in the mall and started flirting mercilessly. Sora had finally gathered the courage to drag away the annoying pink-haired girl while laughing. Afterward, Mimi and Sora had gone to the Takenouchi residence and talked about everything about boys, which was a hard thing to do for Mimi. Finally, the sixteen-year-old went to her hotel. Suddenly, Sora felt awful for having fun without Tai and immediately began to cry until she was hoarse.

Matt had called Tai early that morning, telling him what time bad practice would be. Tai had agreed and had gotten dressed after a laborious hour. He almost called Kari to help him, but knew that no girl that young should be exposed to his near naked body. He shuffled around the apartment, wincing at every step, but he had finally gotten to where he could gingerly put his weight down on one leg for a while without much pain. His shoulders were on fire, however, and he knew _exactly_ why. Every time his shoulder began to burn, he would remember the reflection he saw of his wings in the mirror. He went to Matt's band practice that night, but was only able to stand up for about thirty minutes before he had to sit down. Matt had expressed his concern, but Tai had told him that he was all right and that he was just suffering from fatigue. The blonde boy had accepted this, but not without skepticism. When the band was convinced that they had all of the chords right and that it sounded exactly like the song, they had ended the practice. Matt called Kari, and became very worried when the little girl arrived and had to practically carry Tai out the door. T.K. came with her, but Tai had told him that he didn't need his help. That night, when called to dinner, Tai didn't even bother to get out of his bed. Thinking of Sora's white face and auburn hair as red as fire, he finally drifted asleep, hoping that the girl of his dreams would be the girl of his reality by tomorrow night.

DECEMBER 31ST - NEW YEAR'S EVE

"Mimi! I look terrible!" Sora called from the bathroom. T.K., Mimi, Kari, Izzy, Joe, Davis, Yolei, Jun, and Ken stood in her room, all impatient. Sora was unaware of their presence or she would have come out a long time ago. Matt and Tai were missing because they had to get ready, but Sora was unaware that Tai was going to be there. Cody had declined the invitation to come because he would have felt left out, and indeed he would have. They were all much older than him. 

"No, you don't! I picked out that dress and I have incredible fashion sense!" A couple of the guys snickered, but they're other halves quickly elbowed them in their stomachs.

"Whatever. Just don't laugh at me, okay?" Mimi put a finger to her lips, signaling the others to keep quiet.

"Okay!" she exclaimed. The bathroom door creaked open and out stepped Sora with her head bowed in embarrassment, feeling like she needed a neck brace to keep her head up. The red dress came up to her thighs and fit her form perfectly, not leaving much to the imagination. It was a spaghetti strap, much to the tomboy's dismay. There was complete silence. She finally forced herself to look up and gasped. She had not expected all of these people to be in her bedroom. All of the boys' jaws were on the floor in shock. The girls seemed impressed with Sora's transformation.

"You didn't tell me they were here, Mimi," Sora said in a low, threatening voice. Mimi looked at them and gasped in fake surprise.

"Well, bless my soul! How did they get in here?" Sora was not amused. They continued to stare at her, making her very nervous.

"Well???" she asked anxiously. Ken started clapping. Yolei glared at him. Apparently, he was her new pursuit of interest after the news about Izzy. She kept glaring, but Ken kept clapping. Pretty soon, T.K., Joe, Davis, and Izzy joined in. The girls, including Sora, exchanged amused looks. Sora curtsied her best. "Thank you," she said finally. They all got up from where they were and began on their way. Joe walked along with Sora. There was an unspoken understanding between the two, and it had made their friendship grow. Though they were nothing like Tai and Sora had been, they could still consider each other the best of friends. Sora was startled when Ken and Davis pulled up beside her.

"Y-y-you look r-r-r-really nice, S-sora," Davis stammered. He couldn't look up at her. His face was as red as a tomato. Sora wondered if he had a crush on her, but quickly dismissed the thought because she knew he still liked Kari. '_Maybe he's just stunned with my overwhelming beauty,_' and she smiled at the thought. Ken rolled his eyes.

"What my cretinous comrade is trying to sputter out is that you look lovely this evening," he said with the air of a gentleman. Davis glared at him.

"What the heck does cretinous mean?" he asked angrily. Sora laughed.

"Well, _cretin_ means 'deformed idiot', but I think you're a perfectly formed idiot, Davis," she said, grinning mischievously. Davis blushed again. Ken smiled at her.

"I don't think he caught what you said," he whispered to her. Sora nodded.

"Let's keep it that way," she whispered back. "Thank you both for the compliments," she said, louder this time. Davis shuffled his feet while Ken just grinned. They walked the rest of the way to the party in comfortable silence, but to Sora, it wasn't comfortable at all. '_Why did I let Mimi talk me into this? She's trying to talk me into meeting new guys, and all I want is Tai. All I want is to be in his arms. All I want is him. All I want is Taichi Kamiya to tell me he's sorry and that he loves me. I wish he was going to be there.' _As though nothing was plaguing her mind, she walked along with a smile plastered to her face.

*****************************************************************************************************

Tai swayed on his feet. He was supposed to go out on stage soon, but it was getting hard for him to see straight. '_I'm cutting it too close, Sora.'_ he thought. He swayed again, this time heading straight for the floor. Suddenly, a pair of strong hands grabbed him before he fell all the way. It was Matt.

"You okay, bud?" he asked worriedly. "I've never seen someone this nervous before." Tai stood up on his feet and looked at Matt forlornly.

"I'm not nervous. I'm dying, Matt." The blonde looked at him in shock.

"What do you mean you're dying?"

"Without Sora, I'm dying. I can't do anything without her. I can't... function. I need her," he said, his voice trailing off to something barely audible. Matt seemed scared. "I've got to get her back." 

"Okay... Yeah, yeah, I'm on it, Tai," he said finally. Tai smiled.

"Thanks, Matt." A man passed him on his left in a hurry. 

"Everyone's out there! We're supposed to be ready to go on!" Matt scolded loudly. Tai could hear the screaming girls outside. "All right. We're going to go out there and I'm going to say that we have special music. That's when-"

"That's when I go out there, dedicate the song, and sing. I know, I know. One thing, Matt." The blonde boy looked at Tai wearily.

"And what might that be?"

"Let me find her in the crowd before I start. I want to be sure she's here." Matt smiled.

"Sure thing. All right, everyone! Let's get out there!" he shouted as a battle cry. The band all let out cheers and ran out onto the stage. 

*****************************************************************************************************

"My feet hurt," Davis complained. T.K. punched him in the shoulder as a response.

"Shut up, you! We've got to keep the evening light for Sora, okay?" he whispered furiously. Davis simply nodded, rubbing his shoulder in pain. Everyone of them had been told about Tai singing that night and had been making an honest effort to keep Sora in high spirits- not an easy task.

"I wish I could sit down," Sora said suddenly. Joe laughed.

"Yeah, you could, but I'd doubt that you'd be able to see who's up there. You want to get in front of the crowd?" Joe asked. Sora shrugged.

"Whatever." Joe grabbed her hand and signaled the rest to follow. "Joe, what are you doing?" she asked angrily. Joe smiled at her.

"Taking you up front, of course. Everyone, hold on!" They all linked onto each other like they were doing the train and headed for the front of the crowd of screaming girls. There were a lot of guys there, too, but they weren't as anxious to see Yamato Ishida. Finally, Joe plowed over enough blonde bowling pins to get to the front. They all spread out horizontally against the stage. 

"Great seats, Joe," Sora said, laughing at the rush she had gotten going through the crowd. Joe shrugged smugly.

"I try my best." He looked down and pressed a button on his watch, illuminating the screen. It was 11:45. The party had started a long time ago, but they all had decided to go later, right when Matt's band was supposed to start for the second time, as they had already given a prior concert, but Tai was going to sing at the second one. As part of the deal, the band would only play until 12:15 so they could spend New Year's Eve with whom they wanted. It would be a rather short concert, but everyone seemed anxious for any amount of attention Yamato Ishida could give them. Sora smirked at Joe's last comment and looked at the rest of the crew. Davis seemed to be fighting Yolei to get next to Kari. T.K. was making a valiant effort to protect the Lady Hikari, but was failing miserably from the horde of screaming girls that was making it impossible for them to move. Ken was making an effort to get out of Yolei's clutches, but the girl had the death grip of a pro wrestler, and he couldn't get away. Mimi was next to Sora, but was talking to Jun in an effort to find out the dirt on Matt. Suddenly, the lights in the huge room dimmed to almost nothing. Spotlights began to shine over the crowd and girls started screaming louder than ever.

"This is loud!" Sora yelled with her ears plugged. Joe barely heard her and nodded in agreement.

"_And now, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the rest of the Odaiba New Year's Eve Party 2001!_" a voice boomed over a microphone system. There was a loud roar from the crowd. "_And to let the party keep going the right way, let's continue it with the hottest band in Odaiba, Aphotic Abyss_!"

"Cool name!" Sora yelled to Joe. He nodded.

"Sounds kinda mysterious!" he yelled back. She barely caught his words as spotlights shown on stage. Out ran Matt, followed by members of his band. Matt grabbed his guitar while the others grabbed their instruments. 

"Hey, Odaiba!" Matt yelled at the crowd. They all roared in response. "You ready to start the year right?" Another roar from the crowd. '_There must be at least five hundred people here,'_ Sora thought absently. The drummer did a spastic solo and soon calmed down. "Well, to start the second half of the party, we're going to have a newcomer sing for you!" There was a large moan from the audience, as if they were of one mind. "Hey, hey, now. You won't regret it!" Kari smiled, knowing exactly what he was talking about. "Let's have a warm welcome for Taichi Kamiya!" Sora gasped. _Tai?_ She couldn't be hearing right. As if to prove her wrong, Tai peeped out from behind the curtain and walked out on stage. There were a few screams of elation at the sight of the soccer team captain, but he seemed to pay no mind. He was scanning the crowd for someone, but couldn't find them. He looked at Matt helplessly. He mouthed _I can't find her!_ Matt seemed nervous. Sora knew what was going on, but something inside of her didn't want Tai to find her. She felt horrible, but something inside of her still wanted revenge. Something inside of her wanted to make Tai squirm. She fought and fought, but she was mentally weak, and she could do nothing.

"TAI! TAI!" the other digidestined started screaming. He looked down and squinted. There he could see his sister, T.K., Davis, Joe, Mimi, Jun, Ken, Yolei, and best of all, Sora. She was dressed to kill, he noted quickly. He smiled for the first time since he had gone home from Kara Ishya's party and looked at Matt. He nodded as a cue. Matt smiled and signaled the rest of the band to get ready. 

"I know this isn't an original song, but it's what I need to say to this one girl. I hope she can find it in her heart to forgive me, because I can't live without her." Kari felt her heart twist in her chest. '_Please forgive him, Sora. Please!'_ There were some oohs and awes from the audience, but silence soon ensued. Sora felt the tears well up in her eyes. He was going to sing to her. Matt and the rest of the band bowed their heads abruptly. Tai did, too. Sora watched in wonder as all the lights went out across the huge room, even the spotlights. Suddenly, lights lit up the stage, bathing the whole stage in blue light. Matt started the song off with a bang. There were screams of absolute delight as they realized what the song was. Sora vaguely remembered it, but couldn't put a name to it, yet. The rest of the digidestined knew it and were hoping that Tai wouldn't crack under the pressure. Finally, Tai's cue to come in came.

"If I fall along the way... Pick me up and dust me off." Tai paused. "And if I get too tired to make it be my breath so I can wa-alk." Tai's voice was starting to crack. He looked at Matt, who nodded as if reading his mind. "If I need some other love, then give me more than I can stand." Matt had given him back up, just in case Tai wouldn't be able to sing. "When my smile gets old and faded wait around I'll smile again... Shouldn't be so complicated. Just hold me and then... Just hold me again... Can you help me? I'm bent. I'm so scared that I'll never get put back together." That part Tai emphasized, trying to get his point across to the seventeen- year old that stood at his feet in pure awe. She had never heard him sing like this, and, along with the other 499 people there, was captivated by the soothing sound of his voice. "....Keep breaking me in and this is how we will end. With you and me... bent... And if I couldn't sleep, could you sleep?" He sang this part as he crouched down and reached out to Sora, who, much to the digidestined delight and to the dismay of all of the girls that had put Tai as a new heartthrob on their lists, reached back. "Could you paint me better off? Could you sympathize with my needs? I know you think I need a lot." Their fingers, no matter how far they stretched their arms, would not touch. Tai frowned and continued to sing into the wireless microphone in his hand. "Started out clean but I'm jaded..." Wasn't that the truth? He had started out just as clean as Sora, but now he was dirty. He was unfit. He was unclean. "...Just phoning it in, just breaking the skin. Can you help me? I'm bent. I'm so scared that I'll nev-er... get put back to-gether. Keep breaking me in, and this is how we will end. With you and me... bent...." Tai wanted to stop right then and tell her that he was scared. That he would never get put back together without her. They would both change by the time this was all over, but whether it would be for better or worse was still a mystery. Matt was still giving Tai backup, but more softly now. There didn't seem to be that much of a risk for Tai to lose his voice anymore. "Start bending me... It's never enough... 'Til I feel all your pieces..." Tai closed his eyes and his once open hand at this point. He wanted to feel her. He wanted to touch every part of her. Not only physically, but he wanted to feel her soul intertwined with his. He wanted to become one with her. He wanted to feel all of her. "Start bending me... Keep bending me until I'm completely broken in..." She would have to break him of all of his bad thoughts, about himself or otherwise. He would become her child. Sora would teach him everything all over again. This time, he would gladly listen. "Shouldn't be so complicated... Just touch me and then... Just touch me, again. Can you help me? I'm bent. I'm so scared..." Tai closed his eyes again at this point. Deep inside, he was very afraid. He didn't want to live without Sora for another second. "That I'll nev-er.... get put back togeth-er. Keep breaking me in, and this is how we will end. With you and me bent. Well, I don't understand. Here I go back again. Can you help me? I'm bent. I'm so scared that I'll never... get put back together. Keep breaking me in, and this is how we will end with you and me.... bent." Tai sang the last word softly while the rest of Aphotic Abyss carried out the acoustics. When they had finished, the crowd began to roar with applause and cheers. Tai smiled, blushed, and bowed. Matt went over to him and patted him on the back. Sora could hear various comments behind her.

"He is _fine!"_

"What was his name? Taichi Kamiya? Isn't he captain of the soccer team?"

"If it wasn't for that hair, I would have thought it was Rob Thomas up there!" 

"He's good! Really good! I wonder if Yamato would let him join the band?"

"He is _fine!_"

"Look at that body! Makes you want to melt, doesn't it?"

"His voice is so... so... wonderful!"

"He is _fine!"_ Sora, along with the rest of the digidestined, rolled their eyes at the numerous times this comment had been made by the same person.

"He must be talking about that little slut, Sora Takenouchi! I heard they got engaged, but she slept with someone at Kara Ishya's party!" This made Sora's blood boil.

"Yeah. Why would he want her? She's so ugly! I mean, sure, she's got a pretty face, but every time you see her out of school, she's wearing _guy_ clothes!" Sora clasped her hands so tightly that they were white. Joe saw this and whirled around to face the rude girls behind him.

"Can't you just shut up!? That's not what happened at all! Don't go making accusations that you don't know are true! I'll have you know he cheated on _her!!!"_ he screamed. Sora looked at him with hurt eyes. He realized what he had said and instantly felt ashamed. "I'm so sorry, Sora. I didn't mean-"

"No, it's all right. You were just trying to help me out," she said, cutting him off gently. Joe looked at her sympathetically. He looked into her eyes. They showed so much hurt, much like Ken's had. Hers were of a hurt that had lasted much longer than his, however. Her father. Her mother. Tai. Dear Lord, Tai must have broken her in half. Joe felt the sudden urge to kiss Sora, but he fought it, knowing he'd never forgive himself. He was having enough trouble getting over what had happened a few days before.

"Sora!" Tai called from the stage. She whirled around from Joe to see Tai reaching for her from the stage. She reached as far as she could, but there was no physical contact. A dull headache set in on the girl. The longer she reached for him, the worse the headache got. Finally, Sora stopped reaching and just looked at Tai. He almost melted at the sight of her. She smiled at him, and he smiled back. He assumed that she had forgiven him, and for that he was glad. He tried to get up, but was surprised when pain shot up his back like nails. If he had Sora back, why wasn't he well again? He saw Sora sway a bit. _'What's happening to us? We're still dying! We should be well now! This isn't _right!' his mind screamed..

"I can't get to you!" Oh, how he just wanted to touch her. Just to know she was real. Just to know he had her back. "You guys can come back stage after the concert!" he yelled through cupped hands. "I'll be waiting for you!" Sora smiled wider and nodded. He nodded back and struggled to stand up. She saw this with vague deja vu. That was how she was this morning. She could barely move then, and that's how Tai was now. In a brief flash of understanding, she saw Tai for what he was hiding. He was sick. Bad sick. He hadn't eaten in days, and he was only feeding the sickness that he was suffering from. The "Love Sickness". Suddenly, Mimi squealed, snapping Sora out of her thoughts. Two thin, yet unnaturally strong arms, the same ones that had jerked Joe up from the floor, wrapped around her neck.

"I'm so _happy_ for you, Sora! Now you won't be so sad anymore!" she said ecstatically. Sora smiled.

"No, I won't," she said back. All of the digidestined wriggled their way to her before the rest of the concert took place to express their congratulations. She had smiled and hugged all of them, hoping that she wouldn't be sad like that ever again.

****************************************************************************************************** 

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Everyone shouted. Matt's band began to play a rock and roll version of "Auld Lang Syne."

"I'm going back stage right now!" Sora exclaimed. Izzy and Mimi had firm holds on her arms, but Sora was summoning some inhuman strength as she tried to pull away.

"You've got to wait a minute! It's highly unlikely that we can become mobile with the extensive number of people in this facility!" Izzy called. Davis looked confused. T.K. laughed.

"He means there's too many people, Davis." The brown headed boy scowled.

"I knew that, J.A.! That means jack ass, if you didn't know!" he shouted triumphantly. T.K. seemed mildly amused. Kari scowled at Davis, but decided to get revenge by hooking her arm with T.K.'s. Davis writhed in jealousy.

"That was a new one," T.K. said finally, but couldn't help but grin. Davis just looked at him, but finally grinned back.

"Sorry, T.K. I guess I was a little... jealous," he said, not really wanting to apologize to him, but trying to make a good show for Kari. She smiled at him.

"That's very big of you, Davis," she said. She stepped forward and kissed Davis's cheek. When she pulled back, Kari saw the look on Davis's face was that of pure elation. 

"W-w-w-w-w-"

"I know, Davis. I know," she said with a mischievous grin. T.K. smiled at her and both turned their attention back to the ordeal with Sora, while Davis tried desperately to pick his jaw up off of the floor. 

"JUST... LET.... ME... _GO!!!"_ With that, Sora tore out of Mimi's grip and wrenched her arm out of Izzy's. 

"Sora, wait! Damn. Well, let's follow her," Mimi said. Yolei latched onto Ken's arm and began to drag the poor boy after Mimi, who was in hot pursuit of the red headed tomboy. Jun looked dreamily at Matt, but soon snapped out of it and joined in the chase. Davis, Kari, and T.K. soon followed. Izzy was at Mimi's side, leaving Joe running behind them. They all tried to keep up, but soon, Mimi lost Sora in the crowd. "Well, I guess we'll have to wait until she comes back," she called back. Joe shook his head.

"She was going to meet him backstage!" he yelled. Mimi couldn't hear him, so they had to relay the message up to her. She nodded, and they were off again, this time heading backstage.

*****************************************************************************************************

Tai limped out of his chair. His legs were hurting him quite badly, and he was almost in a state of panic. '_This isn't the way it's supposed to happen! I'm supposed to be better now! Sora's supposed to be better! We're supposed to be happy! Why are we so _sick?' his mind asked, but Tai could provide no answer. '_Sora.... I've got to find... Sora...'_ The song the band was playing ended. He heard Matt wishing everyone a Happy New Year. As Matt came back stage, some other music started playing over the sound system so that the party could last longer. 

"You were _great!_" Matt exclaimed. Tai didn't smile.

"I've got to find Sora!" he exclaimed. Matt looked at him worriedly.

"What's wrong, man? You've got her back!" he said. Tai shook his head.

"I'm still sick, Matt. I've got to find her. I've got to find her. I've got to find Sora. Sora! I've got to find her! Sora! SORA! SORA!" he began to shout. '_He's going crazy!'_ Matt thought, but decided to help his friend. "Let me go! I've got to find Sora on my own! SORA! SORA!!!" he screamed. Matt tried to help Tai again, but the brown headed boy raised a fist in the air. "Let.... me... go..." he said, his tone deathly. Matt let go immediately.

"I'll look for her, too, okay?" Tai didn't acknowledge this.

"Sora! SORA!! SORA!!!" he screamed again. Matt hesitantly backed away from him and began to look for Sora, too. Tai ran as best he could through the building. "SORA!!! PLEASE! SORA!!!" His vision began to blur. He rubbed his eyes, but nothing happened. He closed them and opened them again, but everything was still so blurry. It began to clear a little bit and he saw a figure running toward him. "SORA! Right here! It's me, Tai!" He wasn't exactly sure that the figure was Sora, but it kind of looked like her. His vision was still blurry, however, which increased the chances that he had made a mistake in identifying the figure. As the figure came closer, he began to realize that it wasn't Sora at all. Sora didn't have black hair. Sora didn't have that dark of skin. Sora was taller than that. That wasn't Sora.

"TAI!!!" the girl screamed. She jumped on him, knocking him to the floor. He yelped in pain as he hit the floor on his seemingly broken shoulders. "I knew you'd come around," she whispered seductively. Tai felt panic rising in his throat.

"Get off of me, Kara! You've ruined my life enough already!!!" he shouted, trying to push her off of him, but his muscles were weak from exhaustion and hunger.

'_You should have eaten, Tai. It would be really bad if Sora came along, wouldn't it? Why, isn't that her right now?'_

Tai didn't get a chance to make himself double check the other figure that was coming toward him. He was only met by Kara's lips against his. When the once had no taste at all, they now tasted of pure hatred and lust. 

"T-t-t-tai? Tai, is that you?" a small, trembling voice called. Tai worked his head from side to side, trying to get out from under the grip that Kara's lips had on him. "Tai?" the voice called again, this time even more shakily. 

"GET OFF OF ME NOW!!!" Tai roared. Kara got up and jerked Tai up along with her. His vision began to clear, and sure enough, a young girl with red hair the color of fire and skin as white as snow stood before him, her face showing devastation.

"T-t-t-t-tai?" she asked again. "Is that you?" Tai limped toward her, but was caught by Kara's hand.

"Nuh-uh, Tai. You're mine now. That's why you sang to me, isn't it?" Tai tore his hand from Kara's grip and looked back at Sora. She was beginning to cry.

"Tai?" she asked again. She couldn't believe it. Tai felt himself shudder in rage at Kara. It was all he could do to keep from killing the black haired girl.

"It's not what it seems, Sora. I was too weak to fight her-"

"Yeah, Tai. That's right. Give me an excuse. To think, I have been thinking about you none-stop ever since Christmas Eve, telling myself I'd be with you again. Telling myself not to lose hope. Telling myself that I love you, and you loved me back. You just proved me wrong, Tai. I thought that I was right, but now I know I was dead... wrong," she said, the tears pouring down her face. Suddenly, Matt started running toward them. As soon as he saw Kara, he felt very angry, but he wasn't sure if it was at her or Tai.

"We're going to die without each other, Sora! You have to believe me!"

"No, I don't." With that, Sora began to sob hysterically. She turned on her heels and began to run, not sure to where she was going. Tai started to limp after her, but Kara latched onto his hand again. 

"Why go after her when you can have me?" she asked in that same seductive whisper, which now seemed more like a rasp to Tai. Suddenly, the rage inside of him built into an inferno and he couldn't hold it back anymore. He raised back a hand and slapped Kara so hard that she fell into the wall. Tai felt sorry for doing it, but somebody had to teach the girl a lesson. He saw Matt. His face was grim.

"Well, glad you beat me to it, Tai. I might have strangled her," he said, glaring at Kara, who was now holding her cheek in pain. "Go after her, Tai! She can't live without you either!" he exclaimed. Tai gave a short nod and began to run with all that was left in him. Suddenly, the rest of the group rounded a corner. At first glance, all they saw was Kara holding her cheek and crying while Matt stood beside her, showing no emotion for the girl whatsoever.

"What the heck happened?" Kari asked as they all ran up to the band leader.

"This slut tackled Tai and made Sora believe that he didn't sing it to her, but to _Kara_," Matt explained. Jun ran up to his side and stared at Kara.

"You've done it this time, Kara. You really have. Do you realize that she could commit suicide now?" she asked, her tone deadly.

"If that's the case, we'd better follow them. Which way did they go, Matt?" T.K. asked. Matt pointed in one direction.

"This way. I'll lead. I think we might catch up to Tai. He said that he's dying and told Sora that they'll die without each other." Kari's eyes widened in fear.

"He's not lying, Matt! He hasn't eaten in days! He won't! He says it's what he deserves! My brother is going to die, and Sora is, too!" she wailed. T.K. wrapped his arms around her tightly. Joe noticed that Davis didn't seem jealous this time, but actually worried. He was actually worried about someone rather than himself.

"Then let's get going!" Mimi shouted, beginning to run in her high heels. Everyone followed her except for Matt, who ran up to the front of the digi-crowd to guide them. Kara was left leaning against the wall, wishing she'd never met the group of friends or Taichi Kamiya.

******************************************************************************************************

"SORA! PLEASE! LET ME EXPLAIN!" Tai shouted painfully after her. They had ran through numerous doors and had ended up outside. His limp was getting worse. At one point and time, he thought his legs were broken, but he kept running anyway. Sora was slowing down gradually, fatigue setting in on her muscles. Finally, she fell in a fit of tears. Tai limped up to her and kneeled. "You've got to let me talk to you!" he yelled. Sora cringed at his touch and crawled to her feet.

"I don't have to listen to a damn thing you have to say to me!" she retorted tearfully. Tai tried to stand up, but his legs gave way and he fell onto the pavement. Sora gasped. "Tai!" He brushed away her helpful hand, knowing full well that his weight added to hers combined with the weakness in their bodies, they would both end up on the ground. There was the trampling of footsteps behind them. Tai realized they hadn't gotten far with their current impairments. He finally managed to get up right when the rest of them arrived.

"Listen to me, Sora. I don't care if the rest of them are here, but I have to talk to you _now."_ Sora swallowed and finally nodded. The rest of the digidestined said nothing. "Sora, for the last five days, I have been dying. Slowly but surely. I can't function. I can't think. I can't _be_. Do you know why?" Sora didn't give any response, but knew what the answer was. "I not only want you, but I need you. You are a part of me. We are of one mind, soul, and body because of what we've been through." The other digidestined glanced at each other, all guessing the same thing when Tai said that they were "one." "If you don't believe me, I can prove it." Sora looked at him with hurt eyes, neither accepting nor declining the offer. He managed to work his arms right to where he had a hold of his shirt and pulled upward. Sora gasped. Though Tai had only stopped eating five days ago, his ribs were showing like he hadn't eaten in weeks. The rest of them gasped, too, but none of them were as hurt as Sora by Tai's irrational actions. 

"You did that to yourself, Tai," she said finally. Tai reached a hand out to her.

"Only because I deserved it," he answered softly. She tore her eyes away from his deprived body and shut them abruptly. "Look at me, Sora," he commanded sternly. She found herself turning her eyes back to him. He was shivering a bit from the night cold. He let his shirt drop to the ground and stared Sora in the eye. "Don't turn away from me. If you can't accept me in my true form, hideous as it is, then we weren't meant to be." She looked at him, taking in his once strong body which now looked like it could have snapped like a twig. His arms that she had wanted to be in so badly were now just bones. "This isn't all of it, Sora."

"I don't want to see anymore!" she wailed. Tai's expression grew stern.

"You have to." With that, there was the swift sound of an umbrella, and behind Tai were his wings. Broken. Bleeding. But this time it was worse. They were dripping blood onto the pavement. Sora gasped in horror, as did a few of the others. "I know you cried for me, Sora. I know you wept until the tears wouldn't come anymore. I know you were hurting inside. I know your heart was aching. I know your heart was bleeding. This is what happened, Sora. I know you still care," he said softly, but was grimacing in pain. He felt like he could scream forever. His back was in a perpetual state of agony, almost making him want to cry. Hell, he wanted to cry. He wanted to fall into Sora's arms and cry like there was no tomorrow, which may have been true for him.

"Oh, Tai..." she whispered, closing her eyes to the sight before her. Tai felt anger inside of him.

"I'm a monster, Sora! I broke all of my promises to you, and I become a monster! I can understand you if you don't want to be with me. I'm a freaking MONSTER!" he roared. Sora walked up to him and touched his face gently.

"I'm the monster, Tai." He looked at her curiously.

"How are you a monster?"

"I told you that I'd never leave you. In a way that's true, because my heart was always with you, but physically, I wasn't there. And I...I..." Tai caressed her face softly.

"Tell me." She sighed and began to cry again.

"I tried to sleep with Joe," she said finally. All of the digidestineds excluding Tai and Sora looked at Joe simultaneously. He blushed and tugged at his collar as if to release steam. They all looked back at Tai wondering what his reaction would be.

"You're forgiven, but now you need to forgive me," he said calmly. '_She said she tried, not did, but tried.'_

"Answer me this. Why couldn't you sleep with me, Tai?" He let his hand drop from her face. All of the digidestined had their mouths open in surprise at the question and waited for Tai's answer.

It didn't come.

"Dammit, Tai! You were going to sleep with Kara, but the night before, you wouldn't sleep with me! You told me you couldn't because of religious reasons and you didn't want me to get pregnant! What did you think could happen with Kara? It was going to be our first time, Tai! I was going to give you the only damn thing I have left, but I couldn't," she spouted angrily. The digidestineds' jaws all hung open. Tai and Sora hadn't done anything before? It would have been both of their first times? They were both _virgins?_ They had all expected Tai to have done something before then, but it became obvious after Sora's little speech that they were wrong.

"You want to know the reason? It's because I couldn't take all that you had left, Sora! It's because you were innocent, and I would have taken that away from you! It's because I love you with all my heart and I didn't want to make your first time the worst experience ever! Yes, religion and the pregnancy thing were part of it, but I couldn't take your innocence!" he screamed at her. "That's one of the things that I admired about you, Sora. You're one of the most beautiful girls in school, but you haven't done anything like the other girls. Why Kara? Because I didn't see innocence in her eyes. I was going to try to make your first time good for you by actually knowing what I was doing when we _did_ do it! The stupidest reason in the world, I know, but dammit, Sora, I still love you!!!!" Everyone stood speechless, waiting for Sora's response to Tai. His hardened expression turned soft. "I still love you!" he said softly, his eyes becoming glassy in the moonlight. Sora began to cry harder.

"Oh, Tai!" she cried as she wrapped her hands around him tightly. Everyone smiled. They were finally back together, it seemed. Tai started to cry with joy. He felt his wings begin to heal. The blood stopped dripping. The same blood that Sora and Tai had bled through their tears. Through their hearts. Through their minds. They felt themselves become rejuvenated. It was an incredible feeling to them both. They held each other so tightly that they could hardly breath, but they were just so glad to be in each other's arms. Sora felt like she could melt. She felt like she could just stay in his arms forever, like she'd always wanted, too.

"I'm going to be your child, Sora. You're going to teach me about love, kindness, and trust. I will be your willing student. You will teach me what I need to know so I can love you the right way, and maybe one day, you can trust me again," he whispered softly. Sora nodded slowly.

"Only if you can teach me a way to love you more," she whispered back. They both smiled. Tai took in a deep breath of her hair, as if making sure she was really there. She was! She was really in his arms! He was really going to live! He looked up and saw that they were under a willow tree. He felt his heart stop. No. This was too familiar. A willow tree? Then, if this was real life, and there was a willow tree.... He was still going to die!!!

"NO! You can't take me away from her! I love her! Oh, dear God! I can't die! I LOVE HER!" he cried. Sora pulled away from him, terrified. The others looked on in fear, too. 

"What do you mean, Tai? You're not going to leave me! We're just beginning the rest of our lives, Tai!" she cried, becoming more and more afraid. 

"The dream! You were under the willow tree and I finally got you back and I died in your arms! I died! I'm still going to die!" he cried. Sora shook her head.

"YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME!" she wailed. Matt and Joe rushed over to Sora side as she fell to the ground in a heap. Kari ran to Tai with T.K. close on her heels.

"No! I'm going to fight it! I'm not going to die! Not when we're together again!" Tai cried. Suddenly, something strong overcame him. Suddenly, he saw a man in a dark cloak point at him. 

"Time to go home, Tai," he said calmly. Tai shook his head. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion except him and the man in the cloak. Then, all of his friends disappeared, but the sound of their frantic voices remained.

"No! I just got her back! I love her too much to let her go!" he shouted. The man in the cloak disappeared and reappeared at Tai's side. Suddenly, Tai could feel the cold of the night anymore. The man in the cloak began to reach a gnarled hand toward Tai. "DON'T TOUCH ME! NO!!!" he screamed. The man in the cloak touched him gently.

"You knew this was going to happen," he said softly. Tai jerked his hand out from under the man's grip, but saw a white blaze out of the corner of his eye. He looked and saw it was like a doorway. "Come, child. Heaven awaits you. You have confessed your sins and are ready to die." Tai screamed, but it had no sound, like he was in space with no air. "Time to go home, Tai." 

Tai's life began to flash before his eyes.

Kari. All of the times that she had been a great sister to him. Of all of the times that he had failed to tell her that he loved her. Of all the times that he had tortured her until she cried. Of all the times he had failed her.

_i'm so sorry kari_

Matt. Like a brother all the way. All of the times he had picked fights with him, but who would have thought they would have turned out to be best friends. My best friend, Matt. The closest friend he ever had.

_i'll miss you a lot matt_

Izzy. The smartest kid. The best computer whiz in Japan, for all he knew. How many times had he gotten them out of jams with his techno jargon in the digital world? He'd lost count. His friendship meant the world to him.

_i'll never forget you izzy_

Joe. The voice of reason. Reliability fit him well. He was always there when needed. Whenever called on, he rose to met the challenge, even though his pessimism made him seem impossible. What a guy.

_i'm proud to know you joe_

T.K. The kid that had the face of a child and the wisdom of a man. His hope had saved them so many times. Along with his friendship. His role in the new digidestined team couldn't have been done without. He'll always be a good kid.

_i'll still be with you t.k._

Mimi. Airheadedness aside, she's the best person to have for a friend. Kind, caring, considerate. There when you need her. Though some things about her were too ditzy, she was still a great person on the inside.

_i'll remember you in heaven mimi_

Sora. His love. His life. His light. His hope. His heart. His mind. His soul. All is invested in her. His mistakes were glaring ones in their relationship, but she had always loved him. And he would always love her, no matter where he is.

_i'll always love you sora you'll always be my girl i'll always be with you_

He couldn't leave her! Yes, it was hard to leave his sister, but he couldn't leave Sora! He loved her! Heaven wouldn't be enough for him! He had to have Sora! Forever! Eternally! Infinitely! 

"I LOVE HER!!!!! NO!!!" 

Tai scream broke the sound proof glass that had surrounded him, not letting any breath pass from his lips, letting no sound travel. The glass broke with a thunderous shatter. The man in the cloak nodded and disappeared. The doorway to Heaven simply shut, cutting off the light that it had shown. The slow motion voices of his friends became normal speed, and slowly, but surely, their bodies began to fade into his sight. He was still standing in the same place. He felt his face was twisted in horror, but he quickly erased it.

"I'm going to live!!!! I'm not going to die!" he shouted. Sora was still crying, but her eyes now showed hope. She ran up to him and hugged him tightly.

"Don't ever scare me like that again, Taichi!" she screamed into his ear, trying to scold him. He pulled her away from the embrace and put his hands on her face.

"I'll never leave you, Sora," he whispered. With that, he pulled her face to his, placing a deep, loving, and passionate kiss on her lips, sealing eternity.

Sealing Forever with a kiss.

A kiss of true love.

A kiss of fire.

A kiss of life.

  
  


The End

  
  
  
  
  
  


A/N: So, how was the ending? I didn't expect to end it on this part, but I did anyway. Well, you guys can ask away on your questions. I have one more fic in this series, and then it's finished. So this really isn't the end as you've already guessed. Man, this ending _sucked!_ I wanted it to be a whole lot better, but I guess it's too late for that.

I'm sorry if I seem bitter. Saturday, January 6th at 10:49 a.m., I will be all of fourteen years (need to update my profile), but no one seemed to remember except my parents. Could you guys review for a birthday present? Even if it's one word, an insult to my intelligence, a flame, a question, or something good? I'd really appreciate it. It'd make me feel a lot better. 

Did I make you guys cry? I almost made myself cry. I would have shorted out my keyboard, however, and that just wouldn't have done me well, would it? 

I'd like to thank Kari and KIMaru for their encouragement. There are a whole lot of others out there and I'll try to name you off in my fic where I answer questions. 

Thank you all for being a great audience!

  
  


Artisan of the Written Word

a.k.a.

The Writer


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